What’s better? Low-fat diets? Or low-carb diets? Scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine put it to the test. The answer after their studies: It’s a draw.
It turns out that cutting either carbs or fats shaves off excess weight in about the same proportion, scientists found.
To conduct the study, researchers recruited 609 people between the ages of 18 and 50. The participants were then randomized into one of two dietary groups, low-carbohydrate or low-fat, and instructed to stick to their diet for a year. (About 20 percent of participants dropped out of the study by the end of the year.)
The participants were also advised to stick to healthy fats, such as nuts and avocados, and healthy carbs, such as fruit or oatmeal. For example, a soda is low-fat but not necessarily healthy, while lard is low-carb, but also not necessarily healthy.
At the end of the study, participants from both groups lost on average 13 pounds, but there was no noticeable difference in weight loss between the two groups.
The only clear conclusion for the study? Eating less sugar, less refined flour and more vegetables contributes to weight loss. Of course, those results shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
The No. 1-ranked diet according to US News & World Report is the DASH plan (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), which emphasizes fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean protein, while discouraging red meat and sugary snacks. Other top-rated diets include the Mediterranean diet and the Flexitarian diet, both of which emphasize eating lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and olive oil, and promote lean meats like fish and poultry over red meat.
It also falls in line with the Renaissance Periodization diet, which has become wildly popular among weightlifters and Crossfitters. It typically has its users consume about 10 handfuls of vegetables per day and emphasizes choosing nutritious foods, such as non-fat Greek yogurt with fruit for carbohydrates before a workout versus a sugar-loaded energy bar.
And eating less sugar and more veggies doesn’t just benefit your waistline. The Mediterranean diet has also been scientifically proven to counteract the effects of aging on the brain’s ability to function, and plant-based diets have proven that they can delay or even possibly reverse chronic illnesses older people have.
Among the best veggies to eat? Look for fruits or vegetables with a natural compound called nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), which is found in broccoli, cabbage and tomatoes. Scientists in Missouri found that mice that consumed large doses of NMN had better skeletal muscle, liver and eye function, insulin sensitivity, immune function, appropriate body weight and physical activity levels.
The study comes out just as major players in the food industry are making choices to reduce the amount of added sugars and unhealthy fats in their products. McDonald’s announced major changes to its Happy Meals this month, including news that it would reformulate its chocolate milk to lower its sugar content, remove cheeseburgers and reduce the portion size of its fries.
Mondelez has pledged that its Oreo cookies and Cadbury chocolate will have 10% less saturated fat and sodium by 2020, and Nestlé in 2015 removed artificial flavors and coloring from all its candy products.