NIH study finds cutting dietary fat reduces body fat more than cutting carbs

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-08/niod-nsf081315.php

Public Release: 13-Aug-2015
NIH study finds cutting dietary fat reduces body fat more than cutting carbs
NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

In a recent study, restricting dietary fat led to body fat loss at a rate 68 percent higher than cutting the same number of carbohydrate calories when adults with obesity ate strictly controlled diets. Carb restriction lowered production of the fat-regulating hormone insulin and increased fat burning as expected, whereas fat restriction had no observed changes in insulin production or fat burning. The research was conducted at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health. Results were published August 13 in Cell Metabolism.

"Compared to the reduced-fat diet, the reduced-carb diet was particularly effective at lowering insulin secretion and increasing fat burning, resulting in significant body fat loss," said Kevin Hall, Ph.D., NIDDK senior investigator and lead study author. "But interestingly, study participants lost even more body fat during the fat-restricted diet, as it resulted in a greater imbalance between the fat eaten and fat burned. These findings counter the theory that body fat loss necessarily requires decreasing insulin, thereby increasing the release of stored fat from fat tissue and increasing the amount of fat burned by the body."

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More than two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese. Maintaining a healthy weight can help prevent complications related to overweight and obesity such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of preventable death.

"Our data tell us that when it comes to body fat loss, not all diet calories are exactly equal," Hall said. "But the real world is more complicated than a research lab, and if you have obesity and want to lose weight, it may be more important to consider which type of diet you'll be most likely to stick to over time."
[And pay attention to what actually works for you.]