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Weight Loss Study Proves That Carbs Are Nothing To Be Scared Of

By Toni Matthews
Published on: 02:26 PST, Aug 16, 2015

Weight loss isn’t easy. It often requires discipline, hard-work, and dedication to long-term lifestyle and dietary changes. However, one of the greatest obstacles for those who wish to lose weight is misinformation. Persons searching for weight loss tips often come across claims that are unsubstantiated by peer-reviewed scientific research. This is how very dangerous trends such as the Lemonade Diet continue to be popular.

For the past several years, we’ve heard that the key to weight loss is the elimination of carbs or carbohydrates. The low-carb diet was declared supreme, and many food companies latched on to the panic brought on by “evil carbs.” The focus was never on eating a sensible amount of carbs or good carbs.

Instead, those desperate to achieve weight loss goals were told that certain foods, even otherwise healthy foods, were “bad” simply because they were high-carb foods. Well, now many people will have to once again shift their thinking about weight loss.

According to BBC News, a recent study revealed that low-fat diets are better than low-carb diets.

“Cutting fat from your diet leads to more fat loss than reducing carbohydrates, a U.S. health study shows. Scientists intensely analysed people on controlled diets by inspecting every morsel of food, minute of exercise and breath taken.

“Both diets, analysed by the National Institutes of Health, led to fat loss when calories were cut, but people lost more when they reduced fat intake.”

In other words, yes you can lose weight if you cut carbs. However, it’s possible that greater weight loss is achieved by focusing on fat intake.

More importantly, this study shows that researchers are finding new information all the time about how certain diets affect the body. It was previously thought that cutting carbohydrates better aided weight loss goals than focusing on fats.

Before that, there was a panic about fat that led to the “fat-free” craze of the 80s and 90s — an event that experts now believe strongly contributed to the American obesity epidemic.

There’s a lesson to be learned in all of this: No one, not even the best scientific experts on matters of weight loss and gain, has all the answers. We may find in a few years that another study is released that counters this one.

The only thing you can do is trust your body and monitor its responses to certain foods. Weight loss is often achieved by making sensible food choices and getting regular exercises. You should consult a doctor before undertaking any new diet and fitness regimen.

[Image Credit: Tim Boyle/Getty Images]

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