Effects of diets that differed in macronutrient content on body weight loss: Review

Abstract

Obesity is a chronic disease caused by an imbalance of the energy metabolism and related to many other diseases. Many intensive studies aimed to develop more specific, long-lasting and safe slimming protocols have been used new diets that consist low-calorie and different macronutrint composition. When compared to low fat diets, low carbohydrate diets are more effective in improving metabolic syndrome's characteristic specifications such as fasting plasma triglyceride (TG), triglyceride/high density lipoprotein-cholesterol ratio, postprandial lipemia and low density lipoprotein sub-classes. Low carbohydrate diets may induce more weight loss. Because of unmatched energy intake of many studies, it is not clear that whether this effect associated with reduction in energy intake or increase in energy consumption. Some studies showed that there is no difference between low carbohydrate and low fat diets in term of weight loss. In addition, when comparisons made with high carbohydrate in isoenergetic conditions, there is lack of evidence about high fat diets may induce weight gain. Diets that high in protein and low in carbohydrate may support weight loss via increasing the loss of fat mass and conserving fat free mass. While studies of prolonged use of moderate protein diets are not available, short-term studies report beneficial effects associated with increased satiety, increased thermogenesis, sparing of muscle protein loss and enhanced glycemic control. In this review, effects of diets that differed in macronutrient content on weight loss comparatively evaluated. Copyright © 2012 by Türkiye Klinikleri.