A new study has revealed that all calories are not the same. Depending on the food from which they come from, they may have different values. Certain diets are now believed to be better when it comes to calories. They should be the ones that you rely one when trying to lose weight.
The research was published on the Journal of American Medical Association this week. For the experiment, a number of participants who had previously lost weight were chosen. Those participants agreed to eat a prescribed diet of low-fat, very-low-carb and low-glycemic-index for a month. The way it was done, one group was on low-fat diet, the second group on very-low-carb and the third group on low-glycemic-index.
Each three diet plans were designed to have the same amount of calories. A month later it was noted that the participants that were on low-fat eating plan burned 300 calories less in comparison to those on the very-low-carb one.
The study participants were to consume 1600 calories of food each day. The amount of calories burned were then measured later on using state of the art equipment. After testing, it was clear that those of very-low-carbohydrate diet burned 300 more calories compared to those on low-fat diet. Those on low-glycemic-index burned 150 calories more than those on low-fat plan.
Different calories have different effects
The low-glycemic-index diet and the very-low-carb diet were designed to be rich in fiber and contain much less processed food. It was noted that the group on that diet showed a better insulin sensitivity and cholesterol levels.
From that data, the suggested implications are that low-fat diet turn to slow the human metabolism. It is believed that on a low-fat diet the metabolism slows down to the point where it is not burning as much calories as expected. This idea has been suggested by the researcher Davis S. Ludwig, MD, PhD. He directs the Optimal Weight for life program. The program is run at the Havard-affiliated Children Hospital in Boston.
Ludwig has years of research into the low-glycemic-index diet and he believes it is a better approach to weight loss. He mentioned the fact that those who rely on low-fat or low-carbohydrate to lose weight end up regaining the weight sooner than later.
Ludwig underlines that their study shows that the quality of calories going inside the human body will affect the amount of calories coming out. From a pure metabolic perspective he believes not all calories are the same.
Based on the data, the best diet plan is the very-low-carbohydrate one. But Ludwig says that diet plan has a downside. The research has also shown that those who were on low-carb diet had higher levels of stress hormones like Cortisol and C-creating protein.
Nutritionist Elizabeth Politi, MPH, director of the Duke Diet and Fitness Center agrees that it makes sense for people to rely on low-glycemic-index diet. She still believe that more studies need to be done to understand the mechanism by which calories are burned.
