Cutting calories may be best weight loss approach
Cutting back on calories appears to be one of the best ways to lose weight, regardless of what food groups the calories come from, research suggests.Scientists at Pennington Biomedical Research Centre in Louisiana recruited more than 700 overweight people and assigned them to one of four diets.
These were: average protein, low fat and higher carbohydrate; high protein, low fat and higher carbs; average protein, high fat and lower carbs; and high protein, high fat and lower carbs.
Participants on each of the four diets aimed to cut their calorie intake by 750 calories per day, according to a report of the study by Reuters news agency.
Six months after the start of the dietary regimes, the researchers found no differences in the levels of weight loss or fat reduction between the four diets - a finding that was repeated at two years.
Dr George Bray, whose findings are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, told Reuters Health: "The major predictor for weight loss was 'adherence'.
"Those participants who adhered better lost more weight than those who did not."
However, the NHS recommends eating a healthy, balanced diet and taking plenty of exercise, rather than focusing on the amount of calories consumed.
