Diets for thin people
Can thin people diet too? A study carried out in 2007 and completed in 2010 gives us the answer to this interesting question.
Even thin people can benefit from diets. Dieting and reducing daily calorie intake by around 300 per day can significantly improve markers of cardiometabolic health. This is the main theory to carry out a randomized controlled trial that lasted 2 years and included 218 people, aged 21 to 50 years, in thin people. * Dr. William E. Kraus, a cardiologist and distinguished professor of medicine at Duke University in Durham, is the senior author of the new study. Dr. Kraus and his colleagues explain in their article that some cardiometabolic markers. Like cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar, they can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. And cardiovascular death, even when they are within the ranges that health professionals consider normal. On the other hand, numerous studies have suggested that calorie restriction benefits both a person’s health span and lifespan. However, are these benefits due to weight loss or dieting? The researchers began their new study with the hypothesis that it’s not just about losing weight. But also another more complex molecular mechanism that explains the benefits of calorie restriction for cardiometabolic health. Therefore, they set out to test their hypotheses, and have since published their findings in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. How calorie restriction helps metabolic health. All trial participants had an average body mass index (BMI) between 22 and 27.9. To start, the researchers randomly assigned them to one of two groups: One group reduced their caloric intake by 25% (the intervention group), and the other group did not change their caloric intake (the control group). Participants in the intervention group ate three meals a day and were free to choose from six different meal plans. They also “attended group and individual counseling sessions during the first 6 months of the trial.”
What does the study say?
The study began in May 2007 and continued until February 2010. During this time, the rest of the participants, those in the control group, continued with their regular diet. Not all participants in the intervention group managed to maintain a 25% calorie reduction throughout the study period. But they did reduce their intake by almost 12%, on average. After the intervention, participants in this group lost and maintained the loss of 10% of their weight – 71% of which was fat mass. * Caloric restriction resulted in significant cardiometabolic benefits.
Study results
Specifically, “calorie restriction caused a persistent and significant reduction in all cardiometabolic risk factors,” the authors write. This included changes in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Furthermore, “calorie restriction resulted in a significant improvement at 2 years in C-reactive protein.” This is a marker of inflammation that scientists have linked to heart disease, cancer, and cognitive decline. Insulin sensitivity and markers of metabolic syndrome also improved. The benefits remained strong after Dr. Kraus and team performed a sensitivity analysis that adjusted the results for relative weight loss. “This shows that even a modification that is not as severe as the one we used in this study.” “It could reduce the burden of diabetes and cardiovascular disease that we have in [the United States].” Dr. William E. Kraus * “People can do this quite easily. Just observing his little indiscretions here and there. Or maybe reducing the amount of them, like not snacking after dinner.” “There is something about calorie restriction, some mechanism that we don’t yet understand that results in these improvements,” he adds. “We have collected blood, muscle and other samples from these participants and will continue to explore what this metabolic signal or magic molecule might be.” Dr. Kraus said this was the first long-term study to examine the benefits of calorie restriction in humans. Dr. Kraus also makes clear that his study examined biomarkers for a person’s health span. He says he and his colleagues were “blown away” by the “dramatic” improvements and “remarkably” positive effects. What calorie restriction had on waist circumference, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, glucose control and blood pressure. If you want more information on nutrition and health topics, or need advice to find the healthiest eating plan to help you lose weight, **click here.
