| It used to be that low fat diets were the end-all be-all of healthy eating and a slim waist line. Are the tides now turning on this once hailed golden diet? The benefits of the low fat diet have been studied and argued over for the past few decades, perhaps more than any other type of diet, due to its common sense nature : "If I cut fat out, it's gotta be healthy, right?" Or is this entirely true? Too much fat is NOT good, that much we do know. Fat loss supplements which can help to absorb and expel excess fat from the body, such as the revolutionary product called Proactol have hit the market in the wake of the revelation that low fat diets are ultimately better for the heart, and lead to less body fat and even potentially cellulite (yeah ladies!). Well, new studies are calling question to many once popular low fat diets, and for good reason. Before the low carb craze of the late nineties and today, low fat diets were seen as the golden ticket to health, longevity, a slim, trim body, and a lifetime of boundless energy. Only, when I was on a low fat diet, all I felt like doing was sleeping - was I doing something wrong? Maybe not. Read on.. The Study that May (Kind Of) Debunk the Low Fat Diet The specific study that prompted the new questions was a government backed project with almost 20,000 total participants, including a control group of about 10,000 people. Most of the participants were overweight women who were past the menopausal stage of life. The study monitored the women's fat-modified diets in order to gauge whether the radical reduction of fat in their diet led to any significant changes in their frequency of cancer and heart disease. The other 10,000 women were on unchanged diets, eating as they always had. The researchers found in their conclusions of the tests that the results in the control "low fat" group were less than a compelling argument for the low fat diet. The control group did not show any statistically significant alterations in their tendencies to develop heart disease or different types of cancers. Some Important Factors to Point Out in the Low Fat Diet Study The results of the low fat study admittedly were not earth shattering, however there are some significant points to be made that may have influenced the outcome of the studies - which to me, only further proves that not only fat needs to be reduced, but overall caloric intake for not only health and mental acuity but for weight loss and health weight maintenance. First, due to the women's older age they were basically trying to reverse years of bad habits and those habit's effect on the women's bodies. The years of mediocre of terrible eating habits may have already produced irreparable damage to their bodies at this later stage of life, which would have been out of the control of a low fat diet. A second fact, and this is the real kicker that I think drives my point home about the importance of calorie reduction in a weight loss and maintenance plan, if that while these women's diets were significantly reduced in fat content, the caloric content remained unchanged. These women may have lost a little body fat and weight at first, but for the most part they stayed overweight through the majority of the study due to caloric intake remaining the same. Since excess weight is, in itself, a high risk factor for cancer and heart disease, the low fat diet did not help with these risk factors due to the extra weight not coming off. Important Final Note on the Low Fat Diet While the results of the low fat study mentioned above were not the most compelling proof that one should decrease their fat intake for accelerated fat loss, most research still points to the fact that HIGH fat diets are very bad for your health, as well as for your weight. Eating a lot of fat in one's diet has been proven to add to cancer incidence as well as increase the risk of heart and other serious diseases. As far as we're concerned, since we are in fact, focusing on the diet and weight loss aspect here, a balanced diet that is low in fat or at least fat conscious AND cuts down on calorie intake is the best diet that anyone can be on. Check out our diet reviews on some of the best diets we feel can benefit you today in your weight loss goals. We also recommend some products to help you reach that goal and get off to a good start on the road to dieting and slimming and trimming that butt, midsection and thighs! |