Do Low Fat Diets Really Work? 5 Facts to Consider Before Joining the Craze

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Some of the most comprehensive researches on low-fat diets came to a conclusion that this type of food intake restriction results to very minimal weight loss and almost certainly no health benefits.

According to Ecowatch, however, the low-fat diet proponents were crying foul over what they deem is a misinterpretation of what low-fat diet really is in these studies. They claim that the researchers made some mistakes because the low-fat diets used are not low-fat enough.

Most of the studies worked around a low-fat diet defined as having fat contents at around 30 percent of the calories. But, many scientists and doctors who study low-fat diets said that in order for the diet to really achieve its goals, the fat should come at around 10 percent. And, that the, seemingly, small discrepancy, in fact, makes all the difference in the world.

There are really a lot of confusion on whether the low-fat diets really work. Here are some facts you might want to consider before joining the craze.

1. A very low-fat diet is a diet that contains 10 percent or fewer calories from fat. The diet could also involve low-protein intake and lots of carbs, around 80 percent. It is also about consuming plant-based food, for the most part, while limiting the intake of animal products, such as eggs, meat and full-fat dairy. Low-fat diet tend to stay away from high-fat food like nuts and avocados.

2. There are some health risks involved in adhering to this kind of diet. Fats are essential to some important functions in the body like helping build cell membranes and hormones and in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, E and K.

3. Based on some studies, the health effects of a very low-fat diet include the reduction of risks of heart attacks and strokes and helping people with obesity, type-2 diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

4. According to a recent study, those who eat a low-fat diet may have a harder time losing weight and keeping it off over time. "We need to look beyond the ratios of calories from fat, carbs and protein to a discussion of healthy eating patterns, whole food and portion sizes," said Deirdre Tobias, a researcher from the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, wrote Dairy Reporter.

"Finding new ways to improve diet adherence for the long-term and preventing weight gain in the first place are important strategies for maintaining a healthy weight," he added.

5. According to Live Science, low-fat diets may help in weight loss, but, at the end of the day, it is more important to make healthy choices and not just limit fat intake, said Dr. Dana S Simpler, an internist that practices in Baltimore, Maryland.