Which Diet Is Best? - Part 1. Low Carb or Low Fat?

There are so many diet plans out there being advertised, that all make competing claims about which one is best.
It is easy to get confused as they will often cite "week" evidence and bamboozle us with all sorts of pseudoscience about their particular diet often to sell books, magazines or just to prove their own personal biases..

.In this first part of the blog I am going to take a look at the evidence to find out which is better- low fat or low carb.

LOW CARB OR LOW FAT FOR WEIGHT LOSS??

Johnstone et al (2014) conducted a meta-analysis of ...
Comparison of weight loss among named diet programs in overweight and obese adults

OBJECTIVE: -

To determine weight loss out comes for popular diets based on diet class (macronutrient composition) and named diet.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:-

Weight loss and body mass index at 6- and 12-month follow-up

CONCLUSION & RELEVANCE-

Significant weight loss was observed with any low-carbohydrate or low-fat diet. Weight loss differences between individual named diets were small.

THIS SUPPORTS THE PRACTICE OF RECOMMENDING ANY DIET THAT WILL BE ADHERED TO IN ORDER TO LOSE WEIGHT.

The study by Johnstone et al tells us there that the carb/fat component of the diet won't make much of a difference when it comes to weight loss.

So it looks like there is no need for a one-size-fits-all approach to dieting, regardless of what many commercial diets/books/guru proclaim, because many different diets appear to offer considerable weight loss benefits.

So should you go Low carb or Low Fat? The best one is the diet/lifestyle plan that provides you with the least challenges so you are more likely to stick to it.

Reference
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25182101

In part 2 I will look at how many of the common diets or eating plans make competing claims but actually emphasise key elements that are generally compatible, complementary, or even duplication. of each other

Jamie Miller- Personal Trainer
UK Fitness Personal Training
Aberdeen