If you want to lose weight and keep it off, a Harvard study says low-fat diet is not the most effective diet. Here are the reasons…
The study, published in The Lancet (Oct 2015) compares randomized controlled trials (RTCs) on low-fat, low-carb and high fat diets. They found that compared with other dietary interventions of similar intensity, evidence from RCTs does not support low-fat diets over other diets for long-term weight loss.
Why don’t low-fat diets work?
Low-fat diets encourage eating harmful foods. When the low-fat craze began in the 1970’s foods were developed that were low-fat but high sugar, or had other ingredients that aren’t good for you. I suggest reading labels and eating real foods not foods that are processed.
People need fat for hormone and other body functions. One of the side effects of a low-fat diet is significantly reduced testosterone levels, one study showing a reduction of 12% after 8 weeks on a low-fat diet. Having low testosterone levels can lead to decreased muscle mass, increased body fat, osteoporosis, depression, decreased libido, among others.
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Low-fat diets contribute to heart disease. It’s well documented that people in other countries like France and those who follow the Mediterranean diet which uses quality fats like olive oil, nut oils and avocados and eliminate processed oils like vegetable oil have less heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. When these people eat a Western diet they have the same risk and incidence of these diseases as Westerners. Vegetable oils are known to cause inflammation and heart disease. Low fat diets contribute to higher cholesterol levels, lower HDL your beneficial lipo-proteins and higher LDL the dangerous lipoprotein which Dr. Atkins documented in his book The New Diet Revolution and Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades expound on in their book Protein Power.
So, the key to long-lasting weight loss is to eat clean and lean.
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Nutrient dense fruits and vegetables such as berries that contain ellagic acid and vegetables like spinach, kale and bell peppers are rich in antioxidants and other plant phenols.
The bottom line is we need fat in our diet for all of our cells to function and for metabolism and chemical reactions. The key is to eat healthy fats and eliminate sugar, flour and processed foods.
SOURCE: http://www.emaxhealth.com/1/why-low-fat-diet-least-effective-long-term-says-harvard