Low Fat Vs Low Carb and Weight Loss

[Will Brink]

I read an awful lot of studies on nutrition, supplements, and so forth per my job, most not really worth noting here on BZ. Not that they are bad studies per se, but they don’t really tend to tell us anything we don’t already know or add much to the body of knowledge. Once in a while a study comes out that really deserves some discussion, and this is one of those. The most common criticisms of such nutritional studies are they don’t run long enough to really see the differences between diets, and or, they’re not large enough to see differences between groups. Other criticisms are a lack of focus on the quality of the foods ingested. These and other criticisms often result in people ignoring the findings of various studies that examine say one dietary approach vs another on end points such as weight loss.

One of the big debates in nutrition is a low carb vs low fat diet on weight loss. This recent study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA. 2018;319(7):667-679) had over 600 adults, attempted to focus on the quality of the food, and ran 12 months! The study also examined genotype pattern and insulin secretion. Frankly, I’m surprised this one has not gotten more attention than it did, but I suspect that’s due to the results, but I digress…

The mean macronutrient distributions in the healthy low fat was diet (HLF) vs the healthy low carb diet (HLC), respectively, were 48% vs 30% for carbohydrates, 29% vs 45% for fat, and 21% vs 23% for protein. So obviously not a keto diet per se, but still a substantial macro nutrient difference in F/C to parse out the differences. It’s also important to note the protein intakes were essentially the same. Another common criticism of nutritional studies is they often fail to match protein intakes between groups, then claim the effects were due to the differences in fat or carbs!

So what were the results? Pretty much what I had expected. When the source calories are healthy, isocaloric, and protein the same between groups, the effects are essentially the same. The HLF diet group lost 5.3 kg vs the HLC diet group that lost 6.0 kg, “…and there was no significant diet-genotype interaction or diet-insulin interaction with 12-month weight loss.”

Cont:

Low Carb vs Low Fat, What's Best For Weight Loss? | BrinkZone.com

 

[rafapark]

It is my humble opinion that a person should not follow somebody's else's diet or one of those fad diets. A person should follow a diet which is specific for the person based on the person's genes, health situation, microbiome, body composition and blood work. I know some people do great with lots of saturated fats ( like the bulletproof diet). In my case such a diet is detrimental to my health. Diets should be personalized for one's specific situation. Your genes can give you a lot of information on how your body might react to carbs, fats and proteins. Same thing applies for supplements. For example, in my case, based on my genes I don't absorb enough vitamin d from the sun ( I live in Miami and spend lots of times outdoors). If I want to increase my vitamin d level above 40, I need to supplement. I also need extra B complex supplementation, etc. I did a genetics nutrition test and also monitor with Genova's nutrieval test twice a year, a couple of microbiome tests every year along with periodic bloodwork to make sure my diet is working properly and I am taking the nutrition that I need. I also do a dexa scan once a year. I don't follow any of those fad diets. Just my two cents.

 

[BenM]

Yeah I'm with rafapark. Diet is a horses for courses thing - whatever suits your body, tastes and lifestyle is what you should go with.

There are a lot of diet zealots out there for low carb / high fat in particular who will claim it's superior to anything else for health and body composition but it's really not. I mean it's nice to be able to eat plenty of bacon and cheese and all that stuff and it's true that some people suffer from poor insulin sensitivity as they get older (though I wonder how much of that is due to adiposity rather than age - I'm in my early 40s and lean enough that I cope with carbs just fine). Personally I seem to do pretty well on high protein, moderate carb, lowish fat.

 

[Airborne Warrior]

My Son has lost 39kg since September on the keto diet, my wife 12kg since November. Both had been dieting prior to this on low fat diets with not much success.

I had to come off keto due to high LDL but I pretty much ate what keto food I wanted and was never hungry. My aim wasn't to lose fat as I'm not fat, but to eat food which actually tastes nice without putting on weight and it worked. I definitely couldn't have done that on a normal high(ish) carb diet.

 

[rafapark]

My Son has lost 39kg since September on the keto diet, my wife 12kg since November. Both had been dieting prior to this on low fat diets with not much success.

I had to come off keto due to high LDL but I pretty much ate what keto food I wanted and was never hungry. My aim wasn't to lose fat as I'm not fat, but to eat food which actually tastes nice without putting on weight and it worked. I definitely couldn't have done that on a normal high(ish) carb diet.

You can do a Keto or low carb diet without eating bacon, heavy cream, steaks and all that saturated fat. There are plenty of other healthy fat options that wont increase your LDL ( also LDL or total cholesterol per se is not bad, a better indicator of cardiovascular risk is the actual number of LDL particles (particle concentration)). Lastly, from all the studies I have read, the best way to aproach keto from an insulin resistance or weight loss point of view is to cycle on and off. I've done Keto a couple of times and I liked it, but I preffer a more mediterranean style diet plus intermittent fasting which fits better with my DNA and I believe it is healthier long term (also it is similar to how people eat in all the blue zones). I follow the principles of Valter Longo who wrote the Longevity Diet which is a book I highly recommend to anyone.

 

[Airborne Warrior]

I only went on keto because I wanted to eat bacon, sausage, heavy creams, lots of red meat etc. Suppose I was asking for trouble in regards to high LDL.

 

[Will Brink]

My Son has lost 39kg since September on the keto diet, my wife 12kg since November. Both had been dieting prior to this on low fat diets with not much success.

I had to come off keto due to high LDL but I pretty much ate what keto food I wanted and was never hungry. My aim wasn't to lose fat as I'm not fat, but to eat food which actually tastes nice without putting on weight and it worked. I definitely couldn't have done that on a normal high(ish) carb diet.

Statically speaking, getting the weight off is not the hard part, keeping it off is. Will they
be following keto/VLCD forever? There's something between keto and high carb diets, it's called a balanced diet. Not to be snarky, but I most people viewing this topic in an overly extreme/black white way will continue to have problem with weight.

The reality remains, when diets are isocaloric and P match, and a colarie deficit achieved, weight loss is similar, per this study. While not a keto/VLCD study, that's what they tend to find also.

 

[rafapark]

Statically speaking, getting the weight off is not the hard part, keeping it off is. Will they
be following keto/VLCD forever? There's something between keto and high carb diets, it's called a balanced diet. Not to be snarky, but I most people viewing this topic in an overly extreme/black white way will continue to have problem with weight.

The reality remains, when diets are isocaloric and P match, and a colarie deficit achieved, weight loss is similar, per this study. While not a keto/VLCD study, that's what they tend to find also.

I agree 100%

 

[DragonBits]

Statically speaking, getting the weight off is not the hard part, keeping it off is. Will they
be following keto/VLCD forever? There's something between keto and high carb diets, it's called a balanced diet. Not to be snarky, but I most people viewing this topic in an overly extreme/black white way will continue to have problem with weight.

The reality remains, when diets are isocaloric and P match, and a colarie deficit achieved, weight loss is similar, per this study. While not a keto/VLCD study, that's what they tend to find also.

In the narrow sense of is one diet more efficient than the other, I agree.

You do address maintenance, which is critical, though for me maintenance is dependent on maintaining TRT. I would say testosterone levels are the most critical part of both lowering weight and maintaining weight loss. Not that you can't stay thin while also being hypogonadal and living in an abundance of available food, but it's much more of struggle.

But you need to include compliance, which may favor one type of diet over others.

I think a lower carb diet for many is easier to comply with, though for others avoiding fat maybe easier. Though a stick keto or near total avoidance of fat maybe much more difficult.

One could switch from a diet to lose weight to a maintenance diet, though many seem to have problems with that.

For me, simply trying to keep my blood glucose under 100 works to also lose weight without really trying to diet per se.

So far in the last 6 months I have lost 26 lbs, I have no idea of how many calories, carbs and fats I eat. Probably I often have >100 grams of carbs in a day, though some days it's more like 25. Some days I have various Thai dishes and I only vaguely know what is in them. I also tend to snack during the day, though it's usually nuts, jerky, or something like a few chicken wings. My diet isn't consistent day to day at all, the only consistent thing is I have is whey protein, cocoa powder and coffee before ~2PM, I may eat food or maybe not. But I was drinking that when I was also heavier, but not on TRT and not watching my BG.

So IMO the most important thing is proper hormone levels, and currently keeping my BG fairly low works and more exercise, though I can lose weight without the BG part, it seems easier this way.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

Low-fat diets and testosterone in men: systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies

Redirecting

doi.org

Highlights
•
Low-fat diets decrease testosterone levels in men

•
Low-fat diets appear to decrease testicular testosterone production

•
Further randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these effects

•
The effects of low-fat diets on testosterone may differ by ethnicity


Abstract
Background
Higher endogenous testosterone levels are associated with reduced chronic disease risk and mortality. Since the mid-20th century, there have been significant changes in dietary patterns, and men’s testosterone levels have declined in western countries. Cross-sectional studies show inconsistent associations between fat intake and testosterone in men.

Methods
Studies eligible for inclusion were intervention studies, with minimal confounding variables, comparing the effect of low-fat vs high-fat diets on men’s sex hormones. 9 databases were searched from their inception to October 2020, yielding 6 eligible studies, with a total of 206 participants. Random effects meta-analyses were performed using Cochrane’s Review Manager software. Cochrane’s risk of bias tool was used for quality assessment.

Results
There were significant decreases in sex hormones on low-fat vs high-fat diets. Standardized mean differences with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for outcomes were: total testosterone [-0.38 (95% CI -0.75 to -0.01) P = 0.04]; free testosterone [-0.37 (95% CI -0.63 to -0.11) P = 0.005]; urinary testosterone [-0.38 (CI 95% -0.66 to -0.09) P = 0.009]; and dihydrotestosterone [-0.3 (CI 95% -0.56 to -0.03) P = 0.03]. There were no significant differences for luteinizing hormone or sex hormone binding globulin. Subgroup analysis for total testosterone, European and North American men, showed a stronger effect [-0.52 (95% CI -0.75 to -0.3) P < 0.001].

Conclusions
Low-fat diets appear to decrease testosterone levels in men, but further randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm this effect. Men with European ancestry may experience a greater decrease in testosterone, in response to a low-fat diet.

 

[madman]

Low-fat diets and testosterone in men: systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies

Redirecting

doi.org

Highlights
•
Low-fat diets decrease testosterone levels in men

•
Low-fat diets appear to decrease testicular testosterone production

•
Further randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these effects

•
The effects of low-fat diets on testosterone may differ by ethnicity


Abstract
Background
Higher endogenous testosterone levels are associated with reduced chronic disease risk and mortality. Since the mid-20th century, there have been significant changes in dietary patterns, and men’s testosterone levels have declined in western countries. Cross-sectional studies show inconsistent associations between fat intake and testosterone in men.

Methods
Studies eligible for inclusion were intervention studies, with minimal confounding variables, comparing the effect of low-fat vs high-fat diets on men’s sex hormones. 9 databases were searched from their inception to October 2020, yielding 6 eligible studies, with a total of 206 participants. Random effects meta-analyses were performed using Cochrane’s Review Manager software. Cochrane’s risk of bias tool was used for quality assessment.

Results
There were significant decreases in sex hormones on low-fat vs high-fat diets. Standardized mean differences with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for outcomes were: total testosterone [-0.38 (95% CI -0.75 to -0.01) P = 0.04]; free testosterone [-0.37 (95% CI -0.63 to -0.11) P = 0.005]; urinary testosterone [-0.38 (CI 95% -0.66 to -0.09) P = 0.009]; and dihydrotestosterone [-0.3 (CI 95% -0.56 to -0.03) P = 0.03]. There were no significant differences for luteinizing hormone or sex hormone binding globulin. Subgroup analysis for total testosterone, European and North American men, showed a stronger effect [-0.52 (95% CI -0.75 to -0.3) P < 0.001].

Conclusions
Low-fat diets appear to decrease testosterone levels in men, but further randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm this effect. Men with European ancestry may experience a greater decrease in testosterone, in response to a low-fat diet.

 

[Hormetheus]

IMO both diets work, however not carbs and fats together.

 

[xcpatr922]

I agree not to follow someone else diet. You may want to do trial and error by yourself. I'm on low carb forever because just eating a little bit of carbs makes my insulin goes up (tested via CGM) and weight increase. I actually can feel it if I'm eating processed carb, my weight increases drastically.

However, it doesn't mean I don't eat any carbs. I just avoided anything that trigger an insulin spikes. For natural carbs like yam, I've no reaction. But with refined grain like white rice, my insulin is going crazy. All tested with CGM. Also, processed drink like Diet Coke and even the new no sugar Coke can make my sugar spike as well.

My staple food was white rice, now no more. I can't even take Quinoa as I feel the sugar spike. Even a keto bread causes me an allergy. I ate mostly eggs,seafood and meats with vegetable. That was my best combo. My best moment is when I lost 80 lbs doing this.

Someone mentioned that which diet that really works actually depends on body type, and body type is probably driven by hormone level. If I'm on TRT 20 years ago, I may be never experienced obesity.