Low-glycemic index diet may be best at keeping off pounds

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(CBS News) Does it feel like your diet isn't helping you keep off pounds in the long run? A new study suggests that simply cutting calories might not do the trick: It may depend on what kind of calories you're snipping from your daily intake.

The study, published on June 27 in The Journal of the American Medical Association, says that low-glycemic diets that compliment a person's changing metabolism are the best at helping keep the pounds off.

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"Our findings suggest that actually trying to restrict either carbs or fat is not the best way (to achieve long-term weight loss) and instead to focus on the quality of the fats and the quality of the carbs," Dr. David Ludwig from Boston's Children's Hospital told CBS This Morning (CTM).

Ludwig explained on the Boston Children's Hospital blog that after individuals lose weight, the rate at which they burn calories slows down. This makes it difficult to maintain the continued weight loss. With the study, researchers were attempting to find a diet that would continue the accelerated calorie-burning rate while taking into account the body's new metabolism.

"Keeping weight off - even under the best circumstances - is difficult," Ludwig told the Boston Children's Hospital blog. "But lining up biology and behavior can help."

For the study, researchers recruited 21 young adults who were overweight and obese. After losing 10 to 15 percent of their body weight (on average 30 pounds), they were placed on one of three diets that contained the same amount of calories, albeit from different sources, in random order for four weeks each: a low-fat diet (60 percent of calories from carbohydrates, 20 percent from fats, 20 percent from proteins; high glycemic load), a low-glycemic index diet (40 percent of calories from carbohydrates, 40 percent from fats, and 20 percent from protein;s moderate glycemic load) and a very low-carbohydrate diet (10 percent  of calories from carbohydrates, 60 percent from fats, and 30 percent from proteins; low glycemic load).

Doctors measured both the pre-weight loss numbers for resting energy expenditure (REE) - the amount of calories required for a 24-hour period during a non-active phase - total energy expenditure (TEE) - all energy expended in a 24-hour period including the REE - hormone levels and metabolic syndrome components, as well as the stats during each period the subject was on the various diet.

The researchers found that compared with the pre-weight loss numbers, the decrease in REE and TEE was greatest in the low-fat diet, followed by the low-glycemic index diet and finally the very low-carbohydrate diet. This means the low-fat diet slowed down metabolism the most. Hormone levels were negatively affected by the low-carbohydrate diet, meaning that inflammation increased and the risk of disease also increased as well.

The overall winner was the low-glycemic diet, which offered both a healthy and an easy way to keep metabolic rates up. To keep a low-glycemic diet, people must eat fiber-rich, natural carbohydrates, proteins and healthy fats, including nuts, avocados or olive oil. Grain products that have a low level of processing are also encouraged, while fruit juice and soda are to be avoided. Sugar can be consumed, but only with a balanced meal and in moderation. Drinking water is encouraged.

"A low-glycemic diet offers a healthy variety without eliminating entire classes of foods - like fat or carbs - so it's naturally more sustainable," Ludwig said in the blog. "This is especially helpful for children, since variety and flexibility make it easier for them to follow."

Ludwig told CTM that since our bodies are used to eating traditional carbohydrates for thousands of years - like steel-cut oats over instant oats - they digest and raise blood sugar levels slower so there isn't a "surge and crash."

"But all of the refined carbs that invaded our diets with the low-fat craze seems to lead to metabolic changes not only making us hungrier, but causing metabolism to fall. And that combination is a recipe for weight gain," Ludwig explained to CTM.

To learn more, watch the video from CTM below:

[Cathomasiii]

As a person who has switched to a natural plant based diet and expeienced a 40 lb weight loss since September of 2011 without changing anything else (I keep up a moderate exercise program), I am now off of all anti-cholesterol medications and my Type 2 Diabetes medications are 1/2 of what they were before, I note that these low-glucemic diets are no healthier than any other single item focus diet. Your body suffers with this type of a diet. IT is NOT natural!

[JohnOwensDO]

It seems you may not fully understand the concept of low glycemic index, and it is outside the scope of this article to teach it completely. Your diet benefits you in large part because of lower glycemic index. GI diets are not a fad and do not require purchasing special foods. It is simply making healthier choices in the types of carbs you are eating. Lower GI foods are more like "timed-release" sugars instead of "instant release" sugars, so you avoid the impressive blood sugars swings we see with high GI foods, and thus avoid the 2-hr crash in sugar and the subsequent craving to eat again. Your natural plant-based diet fits right in with the concept of low GI eating.

Dr. John Owens, Family Medicine

[Justice36912]

The 36912 Diet is a great low glycemic diet. It has helped me lose 30 pounds.

[foo8259]

The most effective and healthful plan period is the real human diet: 80% of calories from fats and 20% from protein sources. Why put regular gas in the tank when you could afford premium! Whole foods are actually cheaper than all the processed grains and stuff people eat on the SAD, (Standard American Diet). BTW: All fats are good fats except the man-made ones (trans-fats). As far as CRP and inflammation goes, I have been on low-carb for over 5 years, lost 50 pounds and my CRP is too low to measure, my FBS is 88, plus my aches 'n pains are gone -- even for a 63 yo. This 'study' was too short to show all the health benefits of low-carb.

[MGonul]

Great one! I have been on a low-glycemic diets since December, 2009. That is relly the best at helping keep the pounds off. That is confirmed here! I like this "eating healthy life style" or the plan you can say, it suits me well! Thanks to Doctors, like Dr. Ludwig and my Doctor Prof. Dr. Canan Efendigil Karatay, writer of "Karatay Diet" book, a national best seller in its category in Turkey.

[foodandart]

Finally! I've gone around ad-nauseam with folks that insist that all calories are equal and Americans just need to eat fewer calories to lose weight.. NOT true! Americans need to eat *better* calories, which come from less refined sources. Now let's see if this one sticks..