Lower-Carb Diet Better Than Low-Fat for Obese Insulin-Resistant Women

Insulin-resistant obese women lost more weight after 12 weeks on a low-carbohydrate diet than they did on a low-fat diet, according to a study conducted by the University of Nevada School of Medicine in Reno. (The study was funded by Jenny Craig, a company that sells diet foods.)

The two diets, which had the same calorie counts, were followed for nearly three months by 45 insulin-resistant obese women between the ages of 18 and 45. The women were divided randomly into two groups. The group assigned to the low-fat diet averaged 213 pounds per member, while the low-carb diet group averaged 223 pounds per member.

The low-fat diet derived 60 percent of its calories from carbohydrates, 20 percent from protein, and 20 percent from fat. The low-carb diet, which was actually a "lower-carb" diet, derived 45 percent of its calories from carbohydrates, 20 percent from protein, and 35 percent from mostly unsaturated fats such as nuts. Both diets required study subjects to eat a daily minimum of two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables. Read more...

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