How not to gain weight as you age ? This study determines the best long-term diet

Quel régime pour éviter de prendre du poids à long terme ?

Many of us gain weight as we age. But according to American researchers, a low consumption of carbohydrates as well as a diet rich in proteins, vegetable fats and healthy carbohydrates such as whole grains are associated with slower weight gain over time.

Eating a diet primarily composed of fruits, vegetables, healthy carbohydrates like whole grains, and low-fat dairy products only has health benefits.

It has indeed been proven that “low-carbohydrate diets favoring healthy plant sources are associated with slower weight gain in the long term,” say researchers from the T.H. School of Public Health. from Harvard (United States). Conversely, "diets rich in proteins and fats of animal origin or refined carbohydrates were associated with faster weight gain in the long term", underlines Professor Binkai Liu , main author of the study.

An innovative study

Until now, studies published on this subject demonstrated " The benefits of reducing carbohydrates for short-term weight loss. But “little research has been done on the effect of low-carb diets on long-term weight maintenance and the role of food group quality”.

Prof. Liu's team analyzed the diet and weight of 123,332 healthy adults, from 1986 to 2018. Each participant provided reports on their diet and weight every the four years. Researchers assessed participants' diets based on their adherence to five more or less low-carb diets.

Those who consumed the fewest carbohydrates saw their weight increase less quickly over time, unlike those who consumed regular and/or large quantities of carbohydrates. An observation that is all the more convincing "among younger participants (<55 years old), overweight or obese, and/or less physically active".