Low-fat diets are no more effective than other diets

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One gram of fat contains 9.3 kilocalories. Proteins and carbohydrates, on the other hand, only 4.1. This suggests that a low-fat diet benefits the figure. Researchers led by Deirdre Tobias from Brigham and Women's Hospital and from Harvard Medical School in Boston are now looking into the question of whether the low-fat diet is really more successful compared to higher-fat diets, i.e. whether comparatively more pounds can be shed.

For this purpose, the team analyzed 53 studies with over 68,000 participants. The observation period was at least one year in each case. “On average, the participants lost 2.7 kilograms during this time,” Tobias reports to The researchers excluded studies in which the test subjects did not change their weight due to diet, but rather as a result of other influences such as exercise or medication.

Low-carb beats low-fat

The result of the analysis was surprising: the low-fat diet with less than 10 to 30 percent fat did not lead to any greater weight loss than other high-fat diets such as the Mediterranean diet. The winner was a different variant: the low-carb diet, ie a low-carbohydrate diet. "Compared to the low-fat diet, this diet led to a 1.2 kilogram higher weight loss," reports the study author. The overall still very little weight loss, however, suggests that even carbohydrate reduction is probably not an effective strategy for long-term weight loss, she adds.

But is it really worth doing without the morning portion of butter for the love of the figure? Yes, because the low-fat diet is not pointless: test subjects who ate a low-fat diet lost more weight than those who did not follow a diet.

Healthy nutrition is the be-all and end-all

But if you really want to lose weight, you should do more than just leave out the butter: Because the low-fat diet does not guarantee long-term weight loss, reports Tobias. “In general, we believe that the recommendation of a maximum daily amount of fat is not relevant for body weight. Instead of paying attention to total fat, we should rather think about diets that mainly contain healthy foods and abandon usual eating habits.

The scientists cannot say which diet brings the best results in the long term: "In order to successfully combat obesity, further research must be carried out in order to develop better concepts for permanent weight loss and maintenance," says Tobias.

Ultimately, long-term adherence to any diet is still crucial for success. "In addition, studies show that in addition to diet, regular physical activity is important to maintain a healthy weight, as well as adequate sleep and low-sugar drinks."

Sources:

Tobias D.K. et al .: Effect of low-fat diet interventions versus other diet interventions on long-term weight change in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet - Diabetes & Endocrinology. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2213-858700367-8

Press release from The Lancet on October 29, 2015

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