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Item #13

Carbohydrates - A 'Simple' or 'Complex' Problem

Eating a diet with less fat and more carbohydrates could lead to a modest but significant reduction in body weight. 

According to an EU funded study, not so, apart from for the massively overweight among us.

So concluded researchers in CARMEN, a European project that examined 400 moderately obese adult volunteers from Holland, Denmark, UK, Germany and Spain. For six months the study participants were put on different diets - some followed a diet high in simple carbohydrates, and others stuck to a diet high in complex carbohydrates. Fat, protein and carbohydrates are energy nutrients in foods. Of all, carbohydrates are the most immediate source of 'fuel' for the body. Simple carbohydrates are, for example, those from sugar, while complex carbohydrates come from pasta, rice, potatoes and bread.

The group on a simple carbohydrate diet lost 0.9 kg, while those on a complex carbohydrate diet lost 1.8kg, revealing a relatively small difference between the two. A similar trend was seen in changes to body fat mass.

However, in a sub-study with distinctly obese adults, the weight loss was greater. In a smaller survey, carried out in Cambridge, UK, 46 overweight adults with family history of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure followed diets with either complex or simple carbohydrates for six months. In the complex carbohydrate diet group, participants lost 4.3 kg, while the weight loss was only 0.3 kg in the simple carbohydrate diet group.

Cereals, fruits, some vegetables, pasta and rice contain carbohydrates in abundance and a healthy diet is based on these foods. Among all the energy nutrients, complex carbohydrates have shown to be the most effective in maintaining fullness after eating, which may also help in weight control, the researchers report.

Further information about project R-CT95-0809 (CARMEN) can be obtained from the project co-coordinator, Prof. Dr. Ir. Wim H.M. Saris at Maastricht university on +31 43 388 1619.

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FACT  Reduce Death Rates by Lowering A1c 

The UKPDS also showed that intensive treatment can lead to a significant reduction in hemoglobin A1c values. This is important because each percentage point reduction (e.g., going from 10.0% to 9.0%) is associated with a 35% decrease in the likelihood that significant damage could be done to the eyes, kidney, and nerves and a 25% decrease in the risk of diabetes-related deaths (UK Prospective Diabetes Study Group, 1998).

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