Even a Small Carb Reduction May Help Control Weight

Recently I praised the researchers of the "Eco-Atkins Diet" for monitoring satiety (the feeling of satisfaction or fullness) during their study, and wishing more diet studies would follow suit. Recently there have been news reports of just such a study, showing that even a small reduction in carbohydrates can make a difference.

This small study, presented at a recent conference of the Endocrine Society, assigned 30 people to one of two diets: a "standard" diet with 55% of the calories coming from carbohydrates, and a lower-carb one with 43% of the calories from carbs. They replaced the carbohydrate calories with fat. They kept the amount of protein the same, because they wanted to separate the effects of increased protein from those of lower carbs and higher fat.

Over the course of a month, the researchers continually adjusted the diet to make sure the participants' weight was stable. Then, at the end of a month, they gave all subjects a test meal specific to their diet, and found that those who had been on the reduced-carb diet felt fuller for longer. Although this study specifically sought to look at the diets' effects on satiety apart from weight loss, there's no doubt that if a diet satisfies, it's going to be a lot easier to stick to. This is one of the main reasons that people find low-carb diets something they can follow as a way of eating over the long haul.

Although I don't believe the people get the full benefit of carb reduction until they are under their own particular optimal carb level, this study shows that even a small reduction can be helpful in controlling weight. It also helps drive another nail in the coffin of the idea that "it doesn't matter where your calories come from".

Photo © Karen Struthers

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