Many people turn to low fat diets to help them lose weight and burn fat.
Nonetheless, a new study suggests that low carb diets may be beneficial. Furthermore, low carb diets have been demonstrated to improve fat reduction, decrease appetite, and maintain blood sugar homeostasis.
As a result, you may wonder which is best for weight loss.
This article examines low carb and low fat diets to see how they affect weight.
Basics of each diet
Although both are intended to aid in weight loss, low carb and low fat diets are organized differently.
Low carb diet
Low carb diets restrict your carbs to varying degrees. They are as follows (1):
- Very low carb diets: on a 2,000-calorie diet, less than 10% of total daily calories, or 20-50 grams per day
- Low carb diets: on a 2,000-calorie diet, less than 26% of total daily calories, or less than 130 grams per day
- Moderate carb diets: 26–44% of total daily calories
It should be noted that very low carb diets are frequently ketogenic, which severely restricts carb consumption to induce ketosis, a metabolic state in which your body burns fat for energy instead of carbs (1).
Low carb diets often limit items such as sugar-sweetened drinks, baked goods, candies, and sweets. Some variants may also restrict healthful carbohydrate sources such as grains, starchy vegetables, high carb fruits, pasta, and legumes.
Simultaneously, it would help to increase your protein and fat consumption from nutritious sources such as fish, meat, eggs, nuts, high fat dairy, unprocessed oils, and non-starchy vegetables.
Low fat diet
Low fat diets limit fat consumption to less than 30% of total daily calories (2).
Cooking oils, butter, avocados, nuts, seeds, and whole-fat dairy are often prohibited.
Instead, you should consume naturally low fat foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, egg whites, legumes, and skinless chicken. Low-fat yogurt, skim milk, and lean cuts of meat and pig are also occasionally approved.
It's vital to remember that certain fat-free goods, such as yogurt, may have extra sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Which is better for your health?
Several studies have evaluated the impact of low carb and low fat diets on weight reduction and various other health outcomes.
Weight loss
According to most studies, low carb diets may be more beneficial for short-term weight loss than low fat diets (3, 4).
Older 6-month research of 132 obese persons found that those who followed a low carb diet lost more than three times as much weight as those who followed a low-fat, calorie-restricted diet (5).
In a modest 12-week research, overweight teenagers who followed a low carb diet shed an average of 21.8 pounds (9.9 kg), compared to merely 9 pounds (4.1 kg) for those who followed a low fat diet (6).
Similarly, 322 obese patients were randomly assigned to one of three diets: low fat, low carb, or the Mediterranean. The low carb group shed 10.4 pounds (4.7 kilograms), the low fat group 6.4 pounds (2.9 kilograms), and the Mediterranean group 9.7 pounds (4.4 kilograms) (7).
Another study, however, reveals that low carb and low fat diets may be as effective in the long run.
Participants lost considerably more weight on a low carb diet than on a low fat diet, according to a study of 17 research studies. Although the low carb diet remained more effective after a year, the gap between the two gradually shrank with time (8).
Furthermore, a 2-year trial of 61 people with diabetes indicated that low carb and low fat diets resulted in identical weight reductions (9).
A major meta-analysis of 48 studies found that both low fat and low carb diets resulted in identical weight loss, suggesting that selecting a diet that you can stick to may be the most significant component in effective weight control (10).
Fat loss
Most research shows that low carb diets are better for fat reduction.
A short 16-week research discovered that individuals who followed a low carb, low calorie diet lost more overall fat mass and belly fat than those who followed a low fat diet (11).
A yearlong investigation of 148 adults yielded comparable results (12).
Furthermore, additional research indicates that low carb diets remove belly fat more effectively than low fat diets (4, 13, 14).
Furthermore, one meta-analysis of 14 trials found that low carb diets, exceptionally extremely low carb diets, decreased fat mass in obese people (15).
Hunger and appetite
Studies demonstrate that low carb, high protein diets reduce appetite and increase mood compared to low fat diets, perhaps making them simpler to maintain long-term (16, 17).
In one research of 148 adults, for example, a low fat diet was related to higher decreases in levels of peptide YY — a hormone that suppresses hunger and increases fullness — than a low carb diet (18).
This might be attributed to the filling properties of protein and fat. Both macronutrients reduce stomach emptying, which helps you feel fuller for longer (19, 20).
Protein and fat have also been proven to influence some hormones that regulate hunger and appetite.
In short research, high protein and high fat meals elevated levels of the fullness hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) while decreasing levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin (21).
Blood sugar levels
Low blood sugar levels can increase appetite and create significant side effects such as shakiness, exhaustion, and unexpected weight changes (22).
One technique for controlling blood sugar levels is to limit carbohydrate intake (23).
One research of 56 persons with type 2 diabetes found that a low carb diet was more successful than a low fat diet in regulating blood sugar, promoting weight reduction, and lowering insulin demands (24).
Another short research of 31 persons examining the effects of both diets discovered that only the low carb diet lowered circulating insulin levels, resulting in greater insulin sensitivity (25).
Increased insulin sensitivity can increase your body's capacity to move sugar from the circulation into cells, leading to better blood sugar management (26).
Nonetheless, a 3-month research of 102 persons with diabetes found that a low carb diet was more successful than a low fat diet for weight reduction, but there was no significant difference in blood sugar levels (27).
As a result, additional studies on the blood sugar consequences of low carb and low fat diets are required.
Other effects on health
Low fat and low carb diets may have differing effects on other elements of health. These are some examples:
- Cholesterol. A meta-analysis of eight trials indicated that low carb diets were more successful than low fat diets in increasing HDL (good) cholesterol and reducing triglyceride levels. Neither diet substantially affected LDL (bad) cholesterol (28).
- Blood pressure. Although studies demonstrate that both diets can lower short-term blood pressure levels, long-term blood pressure research has been conflicting (29, 30, 31, 32).
- Triglycerides. Several studies have found that a low carb diet can lead to more considerable triglyceride reductions than a low fat diet (14, 28, 33).
- Insulin. Studies on the impact of low carb and low fat diets on insulin levels have shown contradictory results. More study is required to establish whether one is superior to the other (5, 25, 34, 35).
The Bottom Line
Low fat diets are a common way to lose weight.
On the other hand, low carb diets have been related to more significant short-term weight loss, enhanced fat loss, less appetite, and improved blood sugar management.
While more research on the long-term impacts of each diet is needed, studies reveal that low carb diets can be just as successful for weight reduction as low fat diets – and may even give a few extra health advantages.
Whether you pick a low carb or low fat diet, remember that adhering to an eating pattern over time is one of the most important aspects of weight loss and general health success (36).
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