Just cut down on fat to shed weight

Forget dieting; just cut down a little on the fat in what you eat and you'll lose weight.

The confirmation that you can lose weight without eating less comes from a review of studies involving nearly 75,000 people ? none of whom were trying to lose weight. The pounds fell off when they changed to a diet containing less fat.

The work was commissioned by the World Health Organization to find out what our optimal intake of fat should be. Lee Hooper at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK, and her colleagues reviewed 43 studies carried out in developed countries in which volunteers reduced the overall fat content of their diet, compared with controls who ate either their usual diet or a more healthy one. In all studies, volunteers had to maintain their eating plan for at least six months, with the median time about six years.

The studies varied in how volunteers reduced their fat intake and by how much. For example, in one, volunteers simply replaced normal food with low-fat equivalents. In others, participants could change their diet in various ways to reduce their daily fat intake by about 7 per cent on average.

Consistent results

In all but one study, the low-fat groups saw a greater weight reduction than the controls, with people losing on average about 1.6 kilograms. "I've never seen quite such a consistent set of results," Hooper says.

Weight loss of 1.6 kg is not much, but across a population it could have a significant effect. It would lead to a 3 per cent decrease in overall obesity-related mortality, Hooper says, along with benefits including better respiratory health and lower incidence of diabetes.

The fact that people became lighter indicates that although it is still important to cut our consumption of certain types of fat, such as saturated and trans fats, reducing total fat intake could be crucial.

Journal reference: BMJ, doi.org/jxj

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