However, this assumption fails to consider the complexities of human physiology.įood and its macronutrient composition can influence how hungry or full you feel, your metabolic rate, brain activity and hormonal response ( 8). Whether from carbs, fats or proteins, one dietary calorie contains approximately 4.2 joules of energy ( 7).īy this definition, all calories are created equal. Moreover, different macronutrient ratios do not significantly affect how much total fat you lose in the long run.Ī calorie measures the amount of energy a particular food or beverage contains. Research shows that you can lose fat regardless of your macronutrient ratio. These results and others point to the fact that any reduced-calorie diet can cause similar amounts of weight loss in the long term ( 3, 4, 5, 6). Regardless of the macronutrient ratio, all diets were equally successful in promoting similar amounts of weight loss over the course of two years ( 2).
In another study, more than 645 overweight people were randomly assigned to a diet that differed in proportions of fat (40% vs 20%), carbs (32% vs 65%) and protein (25% vs 15%) ( 2).
While neither group had to consume a certain number of calories, both groups reduced their intake by an average of 500–600 calories a day.Īt the end of the study, the low-fat diet group lost 11.7 pounds (5.3 kg) compared to the low-carb group, which lost 13.2 pounds (6 kg) - a mere difference of 1.5 pounds (0.7 kg) over the course of a year ( 1). In a one-year study, researchers randomized over 600 overweight people to a low-fat or low-carb diet ( 1).ĭuring the first two months of the study, the low-fat diet group consumed 20 grams of fat per day, while the low-carb group consumed 20 grams of carbs per day.Īfter two months, people in both groups began adding either fats or carbs back into their diet until they reached the lowest level of intake they believed they could maintain.
When it comes to losing fat, how much you eat matters more than the amounts of carbs, fat and protein in your food.
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