By Alissa Henry
Every year, losing weight tops the list of the most popular New Year’s Resolution. But what’s the best way to do it? There are countless diet options out there, but a new study says one diet is the most effective of all: The Low-Carb Diet. The New York Times reported the National Institutes of Health’s findings: “People who avoid carbohydrates and eat more fat, even saturated fat, lose more body fat and have fewer cardiovascular risks than people who follow the low-fat diet that health authorities have favored for decades.”
This isn’t necessarily a new idea. The Atkins Diet (or the Atkins Nutritional Approach) has been encouraging its adherents to abstain from grains, cereals, and starches since the 1970s. However, in this particular study, the high-fat group followed a modified Atkins diet, eating mostly protein and fat and foods with primarily unsaturated fats, like fish, olive oil, and nuts. They were allowed to eat foods higher in saturated fat, including cheese and red meat.
The NYT says, “The low-fat group included more grains, cereals and starches in their diet. They reduced their total fat intake to less than 30 percent of their daily calories[…]The other group increased their total fat intake to more than 40 percent of daily calories.
The study lasted a year, and the low-carb group lost an average of about eight more pounds of fat than the low-fat group. But the benefits don’t stop there, those in the low-carb group experienced a “good” cholesterol increase, they retained muscle mass, and they also lowered their risk of a heart-attack.
So if you’re making plans to shed a few pounds this year, the National Health Institute believes you should try a low-carb diet for optimal results! If you’d like to read the entire article, go to: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/health/low-carb-vs-low-fat-diet.html.
