The argument over low-carb versus low-fat has been heated since the creation of the Atkins Diet nearly than a decade and a half ago. While the two methods may generate the same fat loss, the real test may be what else the low-carbs do, that the low-fat doesn’t.
There are a number of benefits to both diets, including sustained weight loss and improved cholesterol ratings. But only low-carb diets showed a doubling of good-cholesterol, something that could have significant affects on heart health and other risks.
Dr. William Yancy of the Durham VA Medical Center, who ran the study, said that these results should make people feel much more at ease about choosing a low-carb diet, even though it allows more fat. Despite this fat allowance, it actually improves heart health, rather than putting it in further jeopardy.
The research followed 307 patients for two years, half of which followed either diet. After that two years, there was little difference between the two groups, except the good cholesterol in those who forwent carbs.
This is great news for anyone who is looking to lose weight, and has major significance for a nation that is being plagued by the rising obesity rate that has had a global strike in recent years.