There are so many diets so choosing the right one for you can be a bit confusing. Low-carb diets are more popular these days and they go by fancy names such as Paleo, Atkins, Ketogenic and South Beach. You might be wondering are these diets safe and can they really help you lose weight?
The Mayo Clinic from Arizona studies the low carb diets to find out if they’re effective for weight loss and whether they’re safe for your metabolic and cardiovascular health. They published the results of their study in the “Journal of the American Osteophatic Association”.
The scientists discovered that low carb diets consist of 45% less daily calories from carbohydrates. A typical Western diet has more than 50%.
A study consisted of 41 trials that evaluated the effects of low carb diets shows that people who were on these diets lost 2.5-9 more pounds than people that were on a low-fat diet.
“The best conclusion to draw is that adhering to a short-term low-carb diet appears to be safe and may be associated with weight reduction. However, that weight loss is small and of questionable clinical significance in comparison to low-fat diets. We encourage patients to eat real food and avoid highly processed foods, especially processed meats, such as bacon, sausage, deli meats, hot dogs, and ham when following any particular diet,” says Dr. Heather Fields, an internal medicine physician at Mayo Clinic and lead researcher on this study.
Fields and colleagues conducted another research in order to analyze the safety and the potential harmful effects of low-carb diet. People go for more meat when carbs are restricted which could eventually increase the risk of death. On the other hand, the study shows that low-carb diets are more effective for weight loss.
“Physicians must keep in mind that the literature is surprisingly limited, considering the popularity of these diets and the claims of health benefits in the public press. Our review found no safety issues identified in the current literature, but patients considering low-carb diets should be advised there is very little data on long-term safety and efficacy,” said Field.
Fields also explains that her studies don’t show the type of weight loss, whether it’s muscle, fat or water.
Dr. Tiffany Lowe-Payne, an osteopathic family physician points out the fact that there are many factors that can influence weight loss, such as personal history and genetics.
As an osteopathic physician, I tell patients there is no one-size-fits-all approach for health. When you think of what dieters want – and what they need to stay motivated – it is the satisfaction of results. They want to see significant weight loss and fast. For many, a low-carb lifestyle provides the answer they are looking for,” says Dr. Lowe-Payne.
In conclusion, after 6 months of dieting, weight loss is the same regardless of whether the individuals are on a low-fat or low-carb diet.