Carb Restriction More Important Than Fat Restriction In Weight Loss

The findings of a clinical study by U.S. researchers should be encouraging news for adherents of low-carb, high-fat/high protein diets like Atkins. While calories (2,500) and protein content (130 g) were kept the same, 16 participants with metabolic disorder were fed six three-week diets that gradually increased carb content while fat and saturated fat were reduced. Total saturated fat in the blood did not increase – it even dropped in most people -- despite being increased in the diet as carb intake dropped. The biomarker palmitoleic fatty acid, associated with unhealthy metabolism of carbs, dropped with low-carb intake. But it gradually increased as carbs were re-introduced. “Since more than half of Americans show some signs of carb intolerance, it makes more sense to focus on carb restriction than fat restriction," the researchers concluded.