Originally published April 17 2005
Carbohydrates lead to weight gain because they 'stimulate excessive appetites,' new study says
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Trying to figure out why low-carbohydrate diets can be dramatically effective among obese people, researchers have found that carbohydrates tend to "stimulate excessive appetites." The Temple University scientists say they low-carb diets work so well because carbohydrates, for some still unknown reason, make people want to eat more. "When carbohydrates were restricted, study subjects spontaneously reduced their caloric intake to a level appropriate for their height," the lead researcher said.
A new study by Temple University School of Medicine researchers has shown why the pounds melt so quickly on low-carbohydrate diets, and it's not related to water, metabolism or boredom.
The research was conducted in a group of obese patients with type 2 diabetes who followed the Atkins diet.
We concluded that excessive overeating had been fueled by carbohydrates."
Boden wanted to examine how low-carbohydrate diets, which have been shown to produce rapid weight loss, affected weight, appetite and blood sugar in obese diabetics.
He discovered that study subjects did not eat less because they were bored with the food selection, and their weight loss was not attributable to water loss, two common speculations about low-carb diets.
The study, "Short-Term Effects of Low-Carbohydrate Diet Compared with Usual Diet in Obese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes," is published in the March 15 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
It is the only study of the Atkins diet to have been conducted in the strictly controlled environment of a clinical research center where every calorie eaten and spent was measured.
After a week of typical eating, ten obese patients with type 2 diabetes followed the Atkins diet for two weeks, with carbohydrates limited to 20 grams per day and unlimited protein and fat.
"When we took away the carbohydrates, the patients spontaneously reduced their daily energy consumption by 1,000 calories a day.
Although they could have, they did not compensate by eating more proteins and fats and they weren't bored with the food choices.
All patients stayed in the hospital for the length of the study to insure exact measurements of calorie intake and expenditure.
Other research projects of Boden's include a National Institutes of Health supported study of obesity-associated diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
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