According to the latest scientific theories, the effectiveness of slimming does not only depend on a negative caloric balance, but is also influenced by many other factors. It turns out that a diet rich in unsaturated vegetable fats promotes weight loss, although the opposite would seem logical - the effect on weight gain. Research shows that a high-fat Mediterranean diet is more effective in losing weight than a low-fat diet.

Are all calories created equal? ​​

Views on the use of energy in the body are changing. The research community is drawing new conclusions from the results of research related to weight control. Until now, it was believed that in order to lose weight, you should limit the amount of calories you eat and eat less than your body needs. As a result, there is a violation of energy reserves in the form of adipose tissue and weight loss. However, this mechanism does not always work as you might expect. It turns out that not all calories are created equal, that is, they do not cause the same body reactions. Energy from different types of food is likely to be used differently by the body. Therefore, it is important what food we will limit in order to lose weight. Reducing caloric intake is important when losing weight, but it is not the only factor that should be taken into account when planning a slimming diet.

Good examples are products with low and high glycemic index. As a result of different body responses after consuming low or high GI foods with the same caloric value, it has been found that low GI foods promote weight loss, and high GI foods hinder this process. A person who eats even more calories, but from low GI products, is much more likely to lose weight than a person who eats less caloric food but with a high GI. This is conditioned by the biochemical reactions taking place in the body after eating different meals and the amount of insulin circulating in the blood.

Several publications showed that the inclusion of probiotics in the diet resulted in greater weight loss in the subjects. In contrast, in an animal experiment, two groups of rats were fed a diet with the same caloric value, but one of them was given probiotics. Inthe group of rats that did not receive the probiotics had an increase in body weight, while the other group did not. This shows that the amount of calories we eat does not have to equal the amount of calories the body will absorb, and different types of food can affect how we use dietary energy.

Scientists suggest that caloric balance is just one piece of a complex puzzle that leads to weight loss. Some elements, such as prolonging satiety by eating the right high-fiber foods such as vegetables and whole grains, have been known for a long time. However, research shows that satiety is only one ingredient. What foods we eat affects the amount of food we eat and how it is metabolized. According to researchers, some foods can stimulate brown fat, which is responsible for burning calories. Understanding the mechanisms governing the use of energy is one of the most important areas of research in human nutrition for the next few years.

Eating good fat promotes weight loss

It turns out that consuming the right fats, even in large amounts, is part of the equation for effective weight loss. A 2012 study found that people on a low GI diet without fat control burned more calories than people on a low-fat diet for the same level of physical activity. It would seem logical that a high-fat diet will cause weight gain, or at least not contribute to weight loss. It turns out that this is not the case, and dietary fat may contribute to more effective weight loss. However, not all fat. Such an effect is not shown by saturated animal fats contained in butter and red meat, or hydrogenated vegetable fats, which are found in large amounts in highly processed foods, sweets and fast food. The conclusion about the beneficial effect of fat on body weight was made on the basis of observations of people on a Mediterranean diet. Men and women who in the experiment ate the rules of the Mediterranean diet with a lot of olive oil or nuts lost more weight and lost more centimeters at the waist than the group on a low-fat diet.

The Mediterranean diet has long been known to be very effective in preventing heart disease, cancer and type II diabetes. However, overweight and obese people, who are extremely at risk of these diseases, are afraid of reaching for nuts or olive oil because they are high-calorie, high-fat foods and they believe lead to excess weight. FROMstudy by Dr. Ramona Estruch shows that a diet rich in he althy fats and vegetables, like the Mediterranean diet, does not contribute to weight gain, on the contrary - it promotes weight loss.

Over a 5-year study, 7,500 people were followed: older adults who were overweight or obese, who had type II diabetes or were at high risk of heart disease. The subjects were divided into three groups. The first group was to eat the Mediterranean diet, including 4 tablespoons of olive oil per day, the second group was to eat at least 3 portions of nuts per week, and the third group was on a restricted diet, which primarily included avoid fat. Weight loss in the first two groups was slightly greater (0.4 kg on average) than in the third group, but these differences were statistically significant. The results checking the decrease in waist circumference were similar. Importantly, those following the Mediterranean diet were not instructed to reduce their daily calories, and instinctively ate less than before the study began. This is likely due to the satiating effect of monounsaturated fat consumption. The weight loss was not spectacular, but the scientific community says it is likely due to where the analysis was performed. It was conducted in Spain, where the diet of most people did not differ much from the proposed one. This is not the only study to conclude that eating he althy fats does not negatively affect body weight. Scientists say that when losing weight, the focus should be on the choice of foods that are beneficial to your he alth, and not necessarily on the amount of fat in your diet.

Why he althy fats promote weight loss?

The exact mechanism of the effect of fats on metabolism and increased fat burning is not known, but some processes are suggested that may be responsible for them. Low-fat diets do not improve fat burning. At the same time, they make the enzymes responsible for burning carbohydrates work more efficiently. Too little fat in the diet has a negative effect on adipokines, i.e. hormones responsible for managing fat in the body. One of these hormones is adiponectin, which is responsible for increased fat burning, accelerating the rate of lipid metabolism and breakdown, and reducing appetite. Low-fat diets lower the levels of adiponectin in the body. Eating fat gives you a feeling of fullness. Fats in the tractin the digestive tract cause, among others secretion of hormones that play an important role in the regulation of appetite and satiety. The longer you feel full, the lower the risk of reaching for snacks between meals and overeating.

How to lose weight he althily - advice from psychodietetics

Each of us dreams of a slim and shapely figure. However, not all methods of losing weight are good for our he alth. How to wisely and he althily lose weight? Listen to our expert - psychodietician and he alth coach Elżbieta Lange.

Bibliography:

1. "Mediterranean diet high in he althy fat does not lead to weight gain, according to randomized trial." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 June 2016. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160607094052.html

2. Estruch R. et al., "Effect of a high-fat Mediterranean diet on bodyweight and waist circumference: a prespecified secondary outcomes analysis of the PREDIMED randomized controlled trial", The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2016

3. Levis L. "Are all calories equal?", Http://harvardmagazine.com/2016/05/are-all-calories-equal

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Slimming