For Weight Loss With a Low-Carb Diet, Quality Matters

For Weight Loss With a Low-Carb Diet, Quality Matters

TOPLINE:

A premium low-carbohydrate diet plan (LCD), abundant in plant-based proteins and healthy fats, was connected with slower weight gain, while a lower-quality LCD was related to the reverse.

METHOD:

  • Potential accomplice research study consisted of 123,332 individuals from the Nurses’ Health Studies (NHS, 1986-2010 and 1991-2015) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS, 1986-2018).
  • Diet plans evaluated by surveys were classified as: (1) overall LCD (TLCD), stressing in general lower carb consumption; (2) animal-based LCD (ALCD), highlighting animal-sourced protein and fat; (3) vegetable-based LCD (VLCD), highlighting plant-sourced protein and fat; (4) a healthy LCD (HLCD), highlighting less refined carbs, more plant protein, and healthy fat; and (5) unhealthy LCD (ULCD), highlighting less healthy carbs, more animal protein, and unhealthy fat.
  • The main result was 4-year reported modifications in body weight, divided into quintiles, with Q3 = no modification, Q1 = biggest reduction, and Q5 = biggest boost.

TAKEAWAY:

  • Individuals acquired a mean of 1.3 kg over each 4-year period, with gains of 0.8, 1.8, and 0.5 kg for NHS, NHSII, and HPFS, respectively.
  • After changing for standard and concomitant modifications in way of life and market elements, compared to individuals without any modification in the TLCD rating over 4-year periods, those with the biggest boost (Q5) in the TLCD rating did not have substantial weight modification (0.03 kg), while those with the biggest reduction (Q1) in the TLCD rating had substantially less weight gain (− 0.20 kg).
  • Those following a VLCD with Q5 modification, compared with those with steady Q3 adherence, experienced 0.21 kg less weight gain, and those with Q1 modification experienced 0.17 kg less weight gain, both considerable.
  • Complying with an ALCD was related to more weight gain with time, with each 1 basic discrepancy (SD) boost in ALCD related to a considerable 0.13 kg more weight gain over 4-year periods.
  • Opposite outcomes were seen for ULCD and HLCD ratings, where a 1-SD boost in HLCD and ULCD was connected with a considerable 0.36 kg weight reduction and 0.39 kg weight gain, respectively, over 4-year periods.
  • The associations were more powerful amongst people with standard body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2

IN PRACTICE:

“The findings of this mate research study highlight the value of diet plan quality within LCD patterns for weight management … Overall, the research study findings refute the sole focus of macronutrient amount for weight management and recommend the essential function of nutrition quality in keeping a healthy body weight.”

SOURCE:

This research study was carried out by Binkai Liu, MS, of the Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, and coworkers. The findings were released online on December 27, 2023, in JAMA Network Open

CONSTRAINTS:

  • Self-reported information.
  • Observational research study, capacity for recurring confounding.
  • No body structure measurement.
  • Research study population was primarily White health specialists.

DISCLOSURES:

This research study was moneyed by research study grants from the National Institutes of Health, and one coauthor is supported by a postdoctoral fellowship award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Miriam E. Tucker is a self-employed reporter based in the Washington DC location. She is a routine factor to Medscape Medical News, with other work appearing in the Washington Post, NPR’s Shots blog site, and Diabetes Forecast publication. She is on X (previously called Twitter): @MiriamETucker

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