Study: High carb breakfast better for long term weight loss

cozmik

Crystal Phend, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: June 17, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO, June 17 -- Loading up on protein and carbohydrates at breakfast may help obese patients with metabolic syndrome stick to a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate diet the rest of the day, researchers found.

Such a breakfast was associated with five-fold greater weight loss than was achieved on a low-carb, low-calorie diet alone, reported Daniela Jakubowicz, M.D., of the Hospital de Clinicas in Caracas, Venezuela, at the Endocrine Society meeting here.

These 32-week findings from a randomized clinical trial suggested that it's not enough to simply reduce food intake and increase exercise for effective long-term weight loss, Dr. Jakubowicz said.

Although restrictive, low-carb diets are among the most effective for short-term weight loss, though maintenance is dismal with a success rate of only 5% after two years, she said.


Diets for obese patients with insulin resistance -- common in obesity -- need to address appetite and carbohydrate cravings, she said.


To test this, she and her colleagues randomized 94 obese, physically inactive women with metabolic syndrome to two diets low in fat and total calories.


The low-carb diet allowed 1,085 calories a day with 17 grams of carbohydrates, 51 grams of protein, and 78 grams of fat. Breakfast for members of this group was to be 290 calories with 7 grams of carbohydrates and 12 grams of protein.


The modified form of this diet allowed 1,240 calories a day with less total fat (46 grams) but more carbs (97 grams) and protein (93 grams). The main feature was a 610-calorie "big breakfast" accounting for about half of the daily carbohydrates (58 grams), protein (47 grams), and fat (22 grams).


During the first 16-week weight-loss phase, the big-breakfast group lost about the same amount of weight as the low-carb group (10.6 kg versus 12.6) with no significant difference between groups.


During the following 16-week maintenance phase, though, the groups' experience diverged. The big-breakfast group continued losing weight and reached an average 21.3% weight loss by the end of the trial (18.1 kg below baseline).


The low-carb group, on the other hand, regained much of the weight lost to end at just 4.5% below baseline (4.3 kg).


The protein- and carbohydrate-heavy breakfast appeared to regulate hunger cues, the researchers said.


Visual analog scale scores after breakfast for the two groups were improved with the big-breakfast diet compared with the low carb diet for the following:

Hunger (P=0.018)
Feeling of still being able to eat a lot more food (P=0.001)
Fullness (P=0.001)
Satiety (P=0.07)


The difference in fullness extended beyond lunch and through 11 p.m. (P=0.001).


A hearty breakfast also appeared to reduce cravings overall and for sweets, carbohydrates and starches, and fast food, whereas the low carbohydrate diet alone increased cravings compared with baseline (between group differences all P=0.001).


Although eating a big breakfast may be inconvenient for some patients, the same results would not likely have been achieved by a larger meal at a different time of day, Dr. Jakubowicz said.


In the morning, the body is primed with hormones like adrenaline and cortisol and ready with the "machinery" to convert protein to energy, she said. The carbohydrates and protein also give a greater sense of satiety in the morning, she added.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/DietNutrition/tb/9844

Nyum Nyum

Interesting stuff, thanks for posting

neuro-praxis

I can actually relate anecdotally with this report.

I have been following the Weight Watchers plan since last September and have lost 28lbs. This is quite slow but I am happy with it because I struggle with food a lot and it is not unusual for me to have a bad week with over-eating and/or eating the wrong kinds of foods.

One of my methods for getting back on track is to look at my diet plans from my successful weeks where I have had good weight-loss. Those weeks inevitably involve big breakfasts.

A big breakfast with both protein and carbs helps me on two levels:

1. Psychologically. A lot of over-eaters have a "fear of being hungry". The reason for this is purely psychological - hungriness gets associated with an emotional sense of emptiness. A lot of people can relate to this sense; I have many female friends who understand this. So eating a large breakfast removes the fear that I will become hungry later, so emotionally I am off to a good start for the day.

2. Physically. Slow-release carbs and lean proteins help keep my blood sugar on an even keel til almost lunchtime (a good snack in between also helps). I feel full for a couple of hours, keeping obsessive thoughts about food at bay, and then I am very unlikely to reach for the biscuit tin in the office, or get a hamburger for my lunch.

For example, I am eating well right now, so this morning's breakfast was 30g of porridge, made with a quarter pint of skimmed milk and 30g of sultanas, followed by one boiled egg, one slice of wholewheat toast with a spoonful of half-fat butter and a cup of coffee. It was delicious, I was stuffed, and I did not need to eat again until lunch - a cup of tea mid-morning was perfect.

In short: I really think people need to be less afraid of carbs.

eclectichoney

Interesting article cozmik. I think different things work for different people. Over the past two weeks i have limited my carbs a lot more than usual, typically I would have had anything up to 100g a day, sometimes maybe more, i didn't really track it with too much precision. Now I am just below the 50g mark every day give or take the very odd day when it veers closer to 60g and I have found it has made quite a difference over the past two weeks.

The main change i made was cutting out carbs for breakfast believe it or not! This was strange to get used to at first (what can I say, I'm a girl who loves her porridge ) but I have to say I think I feel the better for it: less sluggish and more alert. This is hard to say for definite though as I workout / run after breakfast now rather than the evenings so it is possible that this is making the difference (I haven't dug out my spreadsheet to measure things ceteris paribus yet! ). Obviously this post is more about long-term effects so my experience is pretty irrelevant in this context, given that I've only made the change two weeks ago! :pac:

Faith

Thanks for that, cozmilk . I try to do low-ish carb during the day, but I have a high carb breakfast. This is mostly because I can't stand low-carb options (eggs, mainly), but it does work for me.