It’s not just about the quantity of your macros.
Pictured recipe: Arugula, Chicken & Melon Salad with Sumac Dressing
It’s the start of a new year and if you’re like many people, you’re probably looking for ways to incorporate healthier habits into your routine. You may even be toying with the idea of a low-carb diet. You’ve seen others lose weight on it so you have “proof” it can work.
Low-carb diets come in many different forms, from keto to paleo (even though paleo isn’t necessarily marketed as low-carb, it cuts out whole grains and beans, which are both higher-carb foods).
But is low-carb the way to go?
Maybe, according to a new investigation published on December 27, 2023 in JAMA Network Open. But if you want quality results, you’ll want to check the quality of your macros—because simply cutting carbs does not guarantee the results you want, especially long-term.
Related: Should You Be Counting Macros? Here’s What a Dietitian Has to Say
How Was the Study Conducted?
For this study, researchers reviewed data from three large cohort studies—the Nurse’s Health Study, the Nurse’s Health Study II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. They considered five different indices from this data regarding low-carb diets (LCD):
Total low-carb diet (TLCD), emphasizing overall lower-carb intake
Animal-based low-carb diet (ALCD), focusing on animal-sourced protein and fat
Vegetable-based low-carb diet (VLCD), emphasizing plant-based protein and fat
Healthy low-carb diet (HLCD), focusing on less refined carbs, more plant protein and healthy fats
Unhealthy low-carb diet, emphasizing more refined carbs, animal proteins and unhealthy fats
Participants included both males and females from several race and ethnic groups, including African American, Asian, Hispanic, non-Hispanic White and unknown. The number of participants that were included in the study totaled 123,332 with an average age of 45.
Because the cohorts being studied were from long-term studies, researchers were able to analyze diet and weight gain over 4-year periods.
What Did the Study Show?
After participant data was adjusted for other lifestyle factors, the researchers looked specifically at…