Scientists Study How Keto Differs From Low-Fat Diets
The Journal of the American Medical Association recently published an in-depth article1 on ketosis, highlighting its place as a mainstay in the American nutritional world. The article previewed a study that consists of two phases: an in-home preparation phase, where participants eat a calorie-restricted diet of home-delivered meals. Those who lose at least 15 percent of their body weight will move on to the next phase: a three-month stay at a wooded lakefront in Ashland, Massachusetts.
This second phase of the study consists of 25 adults who will be randomly assigned one of three diets which consist of equal calories, but are made up of drastically different ingredients:
- A low-fat, high carbohydrate diet that’s high in added sugars
- A low-fat, high carbohydrate diet that’s low in added sugars
- A high-fat ketogenic diet
This trial will be the first of five that will take place over the next three years. The study will take a group of subjects who have already demonstrated an ability to lose weight based on diet and measure their changes in body fat mass and energy output. The goal is to determine if any of the diets have a unique effect on metabolism, given equal calorie intake, among the study participants.
The Keto Diet Takes Weight Off… And Keeps It Off
The motivation for this study was provided by a meta-analysis2 of 13 randomized control trials. The results of this meta-analysis indicated that people on keto diets tend to lose weight more consistently and keep it off for longer than people who try low-fat diets.
One of the study’s co-principal investigators is David S. Ludwig, MD, Ph.D., a professor of pediatrics and nutrition at Harvard Medical School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He states: “The quality of calories consumed may affect the number of calories burned. If this apparent metabolic benefit persists, it could play an important role in improving the success of long-term weight-loss maintenance.”
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The content on this website should not be taken as medical advice and you should ALWAYS consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. We provide nutritional data for our recipes as a courtesy to our readers. We use Total Keto Diet app software to calculate the nutrition and we remove fiber and sugar alcohols, like erythritol, from the total carbohydrate count to get to the net carb count, as they do not affect your blood glucose levels. You should independently calculate nutritional information on your own and not rely on our data. The website or content herein is not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose or treat any disease. This website shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on the Website or actions you take as a result. Any action you take is strictly at your own risk.
Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD is an aesthetic medicine specialist whose work focuses on patients who are treated for obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other weight-related issues through nutritional analysis, keto diet programs, and supporting medications.
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