Low FAT Diets vs LOW Carb Diets?

Being the nutrition nerd that I am this recent study lead by Dr. Kevin Hall is one of my favourites.

A couple key points from this study:
1. When calories and protein are matched, LONG TERM weight loss between low carb or low fat diets are not significant 
2. Reducing insulin levels is NOT necessary for losing body fat long term (insulin hypothesis)
3. Dietary adherence therefore is a more real world factor in the success of one’s weight management program (ie. if you enjoy more fats than carbs then adhere to a calorically restricted diet that is higher in protein and lower in carbs.)

“The reduced-fat diet group lost more fat mass than then reduced carbohydrate group. The reduced-fat group did not see any significant decreases in insulin production, demonstrating that reducing insulin levels is NOT necessary for losing fat mass. 

The mathematical model of human metabolism predicted an advantage to the low-fat diet over the course of 6 months, BUT the differences were minimal and all but disappeared when a very low-fat diet was modeled against a very low-carb diet.

While a calorie might not be exactly a calorie, it is pretty CLOSE in terms of its effects on metabolism during periods of weight loss. 
Small shifts can occur depending on the macronutrient composition, but the end results on equally caloric low-carb and low-fat diets are not strikingly different. 

Due to the small sample size and the type of patients recruited to this study, extrapolation of the results is limited.

The GOOD NEWS is that, because a low-carb is not necessary for fat loss, more eating styles are available to those trying to lose weight. If you are not someone who likes low-carb dieting, higher or moderate carbs diets are a perfectly viable option for weight loss.

In a real-world setting, ADHERENCE is king. Even if low-carb diets had the ability to melt fat off your body, if you are not
able to stick with the diet it will not be an asset for your long-term weight loss goals.”

ERD issue 11