Reducing Carbohydrate Intake Results in Weight Loss

Here is the abstract of a recent study looking at the results of restricted carbohydrates on health. Results indicate a 30 percent reduction in calories, an increase in protein intake, a reduction in trans fatty acid consumption, a loss of weight (mostly as fat), lower LDL cholesterol, and an overall reduction of cardiovascular disease risk.

I've been a fan of a reduced-carb lifestyle for years, and this is another study in a growing pile that supports that pointof view.

Effects of a carbohydrate-restricted diet on emerging plasma markers for cardiovascular disease
Richard J. Wood , Jeff S. Volek , Steven R. Davis , Carly Dell'Ova and Maria Luz Fernandez Nutrition & Metabolism 2006, 3:19 doi:10.1186/1743-7075-3-19
Published

4 May 2006Abstract (provisional)

Background
Increasing evidence supports carbohydrate restricted diets (CRD) for weight loss and improvement in traditional markers for cardiovascular disease (CVD); less is known regarding emerging CVD risk factors. We previously reported that a weight loss intervention based on a CRD (% carbohydrate:fat:protein = 13:60:27) led to a mean weight loss of 7.5 kg and a 20% reduction of abdominal fat in 29 overweight men. This group showed reduction in plasma LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides and elevations in HDL-cholesterol as well as reductions in large and medium VLDL particles and increases in LDL particle size. In this study we report on the effect of this intervention with and without fiber supplementation on plasma homocysteine, lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)], C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha).

Methods
Twenty nine overweight men [body mass index (BMI) 25-35 kg/m2] aged 20-69 years consumed an ad libitum CRD (% carbohydrate:fat:protein = 13:60:27) including a standard multivitamin every other day for 12 wk. Subjects were matched by age and BMI and randomly assigned to consume 3 g/d of either a soluble fiber supplement (n = 14) or placebo (n =15).

Results
There were no group or interaction (fiber x time) main effects, but significant time effects were observed for several variables. Energy intake was spontaneously reduced (-30.5%). This was accompanied by an increase in protein intake (96.2 29.8g/d to 107.3 29.7 g/d) and methionine intake (2.25 0.7g/d, to 2.71 0.78 g/d; P < r =" .436," r =" .385,">

Conclusions
A diet based on restricting carbohydrates leads to spontaneous caloric reduction and subsequent improvement in emerging markers of CVD in overweight/obese men who are otherwise healthy.

You can read the whole, open access article here.


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