Scoop: Obesity, Diabetes and Finding the Best Diet
The big problem is that people don’t stick to their diet. Most people find that maintaining a diet long-term is too difficult. Our study aims to find a better way to get people with Type 2 diabetes to lose weight, and keep it off.”
“Over two decades the health system has pushed a low-fat/high carb diet. However this is often sabotaged by increases in refined carbohydrate rather than a focus on reducing fat and increasing fibre. Short term studies have indicated that diets higher in protein with lower levels of carbohydrate may be easier. This means eating more things such as lean meat or legumes, and less white bread, white rice or refined snacks, but focussing on low glycaemic foods. The vital factor is still reducing total energy intake.”
Dr Krebs says this is one of the reasons why so-called “low carb” diets, such as the ‘Dr Atkins Diet’ and ‘The Zone Diet’ have been popular, although there is no evidence that they actually work long-term.
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The University of Otago researchers are funded by the Health Research Council to carry out a randomised controlled trial comparing these two diets (low fat/high carb v’s high protein/lower carb) over a period of two years to determine which works the best with Type 2 diabetes.
This has never been done before and could have major implications in controlling obesity and escalating diabetes in this country.
The big problem is that people don’t stick to their diet. Most people find that maintaining a diet long-term is too difficult. Our study aims to find a better way to get people with Type 2 diabetes to lose weight, and keep it off.”
“Over two decades the health system has pushed a low-fat/high carb diet. However this is often sabotaged by increases in refined carbohydrate rather than a focus on reducing fat and increasing fibre. Short term studies have indicated that diets higher in protein with lower levels of carbohydrate may be easier. This means eating more things such as lean meat or legumes, and less white bread, white rice or refined snacks, but focussing on low glycaemic foods. The vital factor is still reducing total energy intake.”
Dr Krebs says this is one of the reasons why so-called “low carb” diets, such as the ‘Dr Atkins Diet’ and ‘The Zone Diet’ have been popular, although there is no evidence that they actually work long-term.
.
The University of Otago researchers are funded by the Health Research Council to carry out a randomised controlled trial comparing these two diets (low fat/high carb v’s high protein/lower carb) over a period of two years to determine which works the best with Type 2 diabetes.
This has never been done before and could have major implications in controlling obesity and escalating diabetes in this country.
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