High Carb, Low Glycemic Index Diet Burns Most Fat

The diet war rages on. Or so one can say when trying to decide which diet may be best for losing weight. So many are turning to low carb diets to lose weight, and pushing protien, but is this really the best way?

A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that it is not so much which nutrients are higher, but the glycemic load of the food one eats that affects fat loss. Glycemic load is a measure of carbohydrate digestibility. Foods with a high glycemic load are rapidly metabolized and enter the blood stream as sugars sooner than foods with a low glycemic load that take longer to digest. To put it simply, the more complex the carbs the lower the glycemic load.

Foods such as whole grains and vegetables have a low glyemic load and processed grains and fruits often have a high glycemic load. The amount of fiber in a food often lowers the glycemic load, but not always. In general if one sticks to whole foods, the glycemic load is lower because the body has to do more digesting to get the nutrients. This is contrary to processed foods that line the shelves of the modern grocery store.

In the study nearly 130 overweight subjects were enrolled and randomized to one of four diets. Each diet was low in calories and with reduced fat intake. Diet 1 was high carbs and high glycemic index, diet 2 was high carbs and low glycemic index, diet 3 was high protein and high glycemic index, and diet 4 was high protein and low glycemic index. Each person followed their diet for 12 weeks.

At the completion total body weight, fat loss, waist circumferance, and cholesterol were measured and compared to baseline. There was no difference in total weight loss between the four groups. Total fat loss was the greatest in the high carb group with low glycemic index. LDL, or the bad cholesterol, was also reduced the greatest in this group. In the high protein with high glycemic index the LDL actually increased.

So they concluded that the best diet for losing fat would be a diet richer in complex carbohydrates. This diet also appeared to be superior to the others for lowering cardiovascular risk. Most Americans may be able to make these changes more simply by eating whole grains instead of refined grains and eating more vegetables and salads and staying away from snacks and processed foods. Also in each of these diets calories were restricted, which will help any person lose weight for the short term. But it is making long term changes to lifes bad habits that will help keep the weight off.