PHILADELPHIA--Two studies published in the May 18 Annals of Internal Medicine (www.annals.org) support the benefits of low carbohydrate diets in affecting weight loss in overweight adults. Both studies reported compared to participants on a low fat diet, those following a low carb regimen lost more weight and had greater improvements in HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
The first study (140, 10:778-85) is a one-year follow up on a randomized trial reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. (For more on this study, visit www.naturalproductsinsider.com/articles/371news4.html.) Researchers from the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center reviewed the one-year outcomes between 132 obese adults randomly assigned to either a low carb diet or conventional weight loss diet. While weight loss at one year was similar between the groups, the low carb participants posted a greater decrease in triglycerides, a greater increase in HDL levels and more favorable glycemic control.
Similar results were reported in the second study (140, 10:769-77), conducted on 120 overweight, hyperlipidemic volunteers at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. Both groups received exercise recommendations and attended group meetings; the low carb diet provided less than 20 g/d carbs, while the low fat diet was less than 30 percent fat. Researchers found the low carb program had better participant retention and greater weight loss; in addition, the low carb dieters showed greater decreases in serum triglyceride levels and greater increases in HDL levels.
In an editorial comment (140, 10:836-837), Walter Willett, M.D., chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, noted the results are promising, but should be examined in context. "We can encourage overweight patients to experiment with various methods for weight control, including reduced-carbohydrate diets, as long as they emphasize healthy sources of fat and protein and incorporate regular physical activity," he wrote.
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