A study conducted in the United States has revealed that cutting fat from your diet leads to more fat loss than reducing carbohydrates.
Lead researchers Dr Kevin Hall, from the US-based National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases said “All of those things do happen with carb reduction and you do lose body fat, but not as much as when you cut out the fat.”
In the study, 19 obese people were initially given 2,700 calories a day. Then, over a period of two weeks they tried diets which cut their calorie intake by a third, either by reducing carbohydrates or fat.
The team analysed the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide being breathed out and the amount of nitrogen in participants’ urine to calculate precisely the chemical processes taking place inside the body.
The results published in Cell Metabolism showed that after six days on each diet, those reducing fat intake lost an average 463g of body fat – 80% more than those cutting down on carbs, whose average loss was 245g.
Dr Hall said “If it’s easier to stick to one diet than another, and to ideally do it permanently, then you should choose that diet. But if a low-fat diet is better for you, then you are not going to be at a metabolic disadvantage.”
Prior to the study, dieticians have argued that reducing carbohydrates is the best way to get rid of excess fat.