Researchers put celebrity low-carb diets to test

University researchers are to find out if low-carbohydrate diets popularised by celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Cher work.

Otago University's human nutrition department will examine diets similar to the popular American Atkins and Zone, which replace carbohydrates with fat or protein, research fellow Kirsten McAuley said yesterday.

The research would involve 120 Maori and 120 non-Maori women and test a range of three diet types.

"There's an awful lot of interest in alternative diets that are very high in fat or protein, which, of course, is completely in conflict with what we are currently recommending as a healthy diet to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes," said Dr McAuley.

The study group would be split into three. One group would maintain a high-fat diet, another high protein and the third would be on a conventional balanced diet.

The aim was to discover which diet was the most effective in terms of weight loss and positive health effects.

* An Australian dietician is convinced that high-protein, low-fat diets work.

Manny Noakes, senior research dietician at the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation, has released the findings of a study, funded by Livestock Australia, showing protein-rich diets are a valid, safe and effective weight-loss method.

The study of 100 overweight Australians carried out over 12 weeks measured the effectiveness of high-protein, low-fat diets compared with high-carbohydrate, low-fat diets.

Both diets were assessed in terms of weight loss and their impact on nutrition, bones, heart disease markers and diabetes risk.

Dr Noakes said the findings showed the high-protein, low-fat approach to weight loss "offered an edge to conventional diets".

The diet was also suitable for people showing symptoms of metabolic syndrome, which increased the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, he said.

The actual body fat loss over the 12 weeks differed significantly when comparing the two diets - a loss of 6kg in the high-protein group as opposed to 3kg in the high-carbohydrate group.

- NZPA

Herald feature: Health