A new study conducted by the researchers at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, has claimed that you may experience deep belly fat loss if you reduce the consumption of carbohydrate foods. This "carb" sacrifice may or may not be associated with weight loss.
Barbara Gower, the principal author of the study, explains that cutting down on carbs, when clubbed with weight loss plans, can contribute to a reduction of the total body fat. Excess visceral or intra-abdominal fat raises the risk of many health conditions like type 2 diabetes, coronary heart diseases and stroke. And this dietary modification can help to lower the risk of these diseases.
The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, considered 69 overweight, but healthy individuals as its subjects. They were provided with food for two consecutive eight-week periods. Researchers introduced a weight maintenance intervention followed by a weight loss intervention. The daily caloric intake of each individual was brought down by 1000.
The subjects were provided with either a low fat diet or with a modestly carb reduced diet, which had a slightly higher fat content in comparison to the standard diet. The foods included in the second category had a relatively low glycemic index.
Around 43 percent of the calories came from carbs while 39 percent was contributed by fats. In the standard diet, 55 percent of calories are likely to come from carbs while 27 percent is supposed to come from the fats. The remaining 18 percent of the calories in each diet is expected to come from the proteins.
Researchers deployed computed tomography (CT) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans to measure the subjects' total body fat and deep belly fat at the beginning and the end of the study. At the end of the weight maintenance phase, it was observed that those who opted for the moderately carb restricted diet had 11 percent less deep abdominal fat in comparison to those who were on the standard diet plan.
Subjects on both diets were found to lose body weight during the weight loss interventions. It was specifically observed that the subjects who followed the moderately carb restricted diet had actually experienced a 4 percent greater body fat loss.
Based on the findings, Gower suggests that people who are on a weight loss diet may consider opting for a moderately carb restricted diet in order to lose body fat and not just the lean tissue!
