Knowledge
 
 

Another new study provides low-carb diets can be good for you.

I’ve written previous blogs about how fat mass in certain areas such as abdominal and skeletal muscle accumulation of fat can be bad for developing type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. So now, when losing weight, especially for those who are older with obesity, look at where you’re losing the fat, and are you doing it in the right way. 

The recent study looks at whether a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet would deplete fat deposits and preserve lean muscle mass without intentional caloric restriction in older adults who suffered from obesity. If this is the case, then such a diet would improve the outcomes related to cardiometabolic disease, such as insulin sensitivity and lipid profiles. 

The study did show, that while maintaining the weight, the group consuming the very low-carb diet lost more weight and total fat mass than anticipated. The interesting thing with low-carb diets versus just reducing calories, according to this study, shows that this is a great way to reduce fat deposits while preserving lean muscle mass. 

Also, in this study the group who went on the low-carb diet ate eggs but no more than three per day. The study concluded that “we can’t conclude that our findings are a result of daily egg consumption; but I think what we can conclude is that whole eggs can be incorporated into the diet in a healthful way without adversely impacting blood cholesterol in older adults.” The primary difference in fat lost between the two groups was from the abdominal cavity and the skeletal muscle depots.

The scientists performing this study was focused on people older than 65, but they felt that the conclusion could be applied to younger populations. Stay tuned for more information on this conclusion. 

Although this study was not focused on eggs, there has been a lot of information and misinformation that focused on eggs. Eggs do get a bad rap. Recently, studies have showed that eggs aren’t as bad as they were made out to be. Originally, the American Heart Association in 1968 recommended limiting eggs to no more than thee per week. However, these recommendations have been loosened because more research has shown the negligible impact of eggs on blood cholesterol. Recently, the Dietary Guideline Advisory Committee of the American Heart Association has issued recommendations to increase the consumption of eggs across the lifespan, including pregnant and lactating women, and also as a first food for infants and toddlers. It noted that food such as eggs are a rich source of protein, choline, B12, selenium, vitamin D and a long list of other nutrients vital to growth and development as well as maintenance of muscle mass.