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# Low carb diet better than low fat diet for weight loss?
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/low_carb_diet_low_fat_diet_weight_loss_0903140219/
- Published: 2014-09-03T15:18:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:24:40.000Z
- Description: Sixty people ate under 40 grams of carbohydrate a day and about sixty others kept fat under 30% of calories for 12 months. The low-carb group lost more weight and fat mass and did better on HDL and triglycerides. The writer notes what participants actually ate was not tracked.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Diet, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

Wednesday Sept 3, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- Low fat diets are often recommended for weight loss and prevention of heart disease, but a new study suggests that low carbohydrate diet is more effective than a low fat diet at helping weight loss and reducing cardiovascular risk factors. The trial results suggest that if you want to lose more weight, you should eat more meat and dairy protein, which are two major food components in a low carb diet.

For the trial, sixty participants ate a low carbohydrate diet with less than 40 grams of carbohydrates per day and about sixty other participants ate a low fat diet with less than 30% of total calories from fat for 12 months. Both groups of participants received counseling at regular intervals throughout the study. At the start of the trial, no participants were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus.

In the trial, participants eating a low carbohydrate diet had greater decreases in body weight, fat mass, ratio of total high density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides and greater increases in high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels than those on a low fat diet.

Comment: One issue with the study is: it seems that either diet was not well defined with regards to their food components. One should know that it has been known for long that both diets can help weight loss. That is, the difference can lie in the specific component of a diet. For instance, eating too much sugar which is one type of carbohydrate can reduce the efficacy of a low fat diet intended to induce weight loss. Eating too much omega-6 fatty acids which is a type of edible oil can reduces the efficacy of a low carb diet intended for weight loss. 

In this trial, what foods the participants actually used during the study period were not exactly known. Also, the study did not examine the cardiovascular outcomes, that is, how these two diets actually affect the risk of cardiovascular disease remained unknown. Some previous studies have shown merely lowering cholesterol does not necessarily reduces the risk of heart disease.

One thing food consumers should remember is that both low carb diet and low fat diet can be effective for some people while some studies have shown high intake of meat regardless of the weight status can cause health problems like cancer and heart disease, two major killers in the United States.

Remember: just because a method can induce weight loss does not mean it is beneficial. Some cancer treatment can cause weight loss, but it is obvious that no cancer treatment should be used for intentional weight loss.

Those who want to lose weight may try both types of diets to see which one can help. (David Liu, PHD)

Bazzano LA, Hu T, Reynolds K, Yao L, Bunol C, Liu Y, Chen CS, Klag MJ, Whelton PK, He J. Effects of low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2014 Sep 2;161(5):309-18\. doi: 10.7326/M14-0180.