Workers at Stanford University, located in California, conducted a study over the course of 12 months, as a result of which a decades-old misconception about diets was refuted. Scientists have proven that it is wrong and at least ineffective to fight excess weight by avoiding fat.
What has been found out by nutritionists?
Experts conducted several experiments in which they found that low-carbohydrate diets are on par with low-fat diets. Such a diet will help get rid of excess body weight and acquire ideal forms. The scientists also noted that the effectiveness of diets is practically independent of the genetic predisposition to be overweight. They believe that three genes influence the effectiveness of rational nutrition:
- FABP2;
- ADRB2;
- PPARG.
These genotypes are responsible for fat and carbohydrate metabolism in the human body. Biologists dared to check this statement. In the course of the study, they decided to clarify whether the level of insulin production affects the choice of dietary food.
About 600 volunteers (aged 18-50 years) agreed to participate in the experiment. Half of the people ate a low-carb diet for 365 days, the remaining 50% of the volunteers did not eat a meal with a lot of fat throughout the year. The daily energy value of the consumed products in the two diets was the same.
After 12 months, the participants in the experiment weighed themselves. Scientists made a statistical summary: volunteers who ate low-fat foods managed to lose 5,3 kilograms, and those who took carbohydrate-free foods lost 6 kilograms. The difference was 0,7 kilograms.
Experts wrote in their report that if you refuse fats and carbohydrates, you can lose weight quite well, and the level of insulin production and genetics do not affect the effectiveness of dietary nutrition. The results of the experiment have been published in many scientific publications.