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Which Is the Better Diet: Low Fat or Low Carb?

Mar 2, 2011 | By Aglaee Jacob
Which Is the Better Diet: Low Fat or Low Carb?
Photo Credit wide view of fruit and cheese on cutting board image by David Smith from Fotolia.com

Controversies surround low-fat and low-carb diets regarding which is the best diet. Although each has its advantages and disadvantages, there are a few important points to consider so you can make the best choice. It's best to choose a diet that suits both your lifestyle and goals.

Weight Loss

If your goal is to lose weight, what truly matters is reducing your calorie intake, which you can do with either a low-fat or a low-carb eating plan. Most studies show significantly greater weight loss in the low-carb group compared to the low-fat group. For example, participants following a low-carb diet lost 20.7 lbs. of body fat in 24 weeks compared to a loss of 10.6 lbs. in the low-fat group, as reported in May 2004 in the "Annals of Internal Medicine." Another study published in 2007 in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" showed that subjects following a low-carb diet lost an average of 10.4 lbs in 12 months compared to a weight loss of 4.9 to 5.7 lbs. in the low-fat groups.

Hunger and Satiety

One of the consistent findings with studies comparing low-carb and low-fat diet is that dieters following a low-carb eating plan tend to feel more satiated and are able to spontaneously decrease their calorie intake, simply because they feel fuller for longer. On the other hand, dieters following a low-fat diet also need to pay attention to their calorie intake and restrict it by 500 to 1,000 calories a day to see results. A low-carb diet appears to be more satisfying and helps reduce hunger and cravings between meals, which can help you reach your goal weight without having to restrict your calories.

Cholesterol Levels

Advocates of the low-fat diet approach claim that low-carb diets are not heart-healthy because of the high intake of total and saturated fat they encourage. However, a meta-analysis, which looked at the data of 21 of the best studies conducted on the topic, concluded that eating saturated fats is not associated with a higher risk of developing cardiovascular or coronary heart diseases, as reported in the January 2010 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." Moreover, many studies have shown that low-carb diets are more effective than low-fat diet to lower triglyceride levels, with a decrease of 74.2 mg/dL in the low-carb group compared to 27.9 mg/dL in the low-fat group, as reported in the 2004 issue of the "Annals of Internal Medicine." This study also showed that the low-carb group were able to increase their "good" high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels by 5.5 mg/dL, while these levels dropped by 1.6 mg/dL in the low-fat group. Changes in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol did not differ significantly.

Foods

It is also important to consider the forbidden and allowed foods when choosing a low-carb or low-fat diet. Low-carb diets are based on nonstarchy vegetables, protein from fish, poultry, meat, eggs and cheese, and fats from vegetable oil, butter, cream, bacon, nuts and seeds. However, low-carb plans do not allow, or severely restrict, bread, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals, granola bars, baked goods, potatoes and other starchy vegetables, fruits and fruit juices, soft drinks, candies and desserts. On the other hand, low-fat diets encourage the consumption of carbohydrates from whole grains, potatoes, legumes and fruits, lean sources of protein, such as chicken breast, turkey, fish, seafood and low-fat cheese, but severely limit the amount of added fat, oil and dressing used.

References

Article reviewed by Elizabeth Ahders Last updated on: Mar 2, 2011

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