Visceral fat wrapped around the organs in the belly is especially harmful to health. Now scientists suggest that a moderate low-carb diet can help get rid of this deep belly fat, even if the person does not lose much weight. The subjects were 69 overweight but otherwise healthy men and women. The participants were randomized to receive either a lower fat diet or a lower carb diet with a low glycemic index. The deep belly fat of each volunteer was measured at the beginning, middle and end of the study with CT scans and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). After 16 weeks, those on the lower-carbohydrate diet had 11 percent less deep abdominal fat than those on the low fat diet. The researchers concluded that a moderate reduction in carbohydrates can help people who are losing weight lose more fat than muscle tissue.
[Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting]
