New study challenges conventional thinking that high carbohydrate, low fat slimming plan should contain little or no added sugar (sucrose).

A team of scientists at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh has found that a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet (containing sucrose) combined with physical activity achieved the greatest health benefits in overweight subjects. The study, which will be published in the August issue of International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, provides evidence that the exclusion of sucrose, as is normally advocated in a weight loss diet, is not necessary to achieve weight reduction. In fact, the palatability of sucrose may even help dieters stick to their eating plans.

As part of a 12-week programme, 69 overweight women (average age 41 years; average body mass index [BMI] 32 kg/m2) were given advice on either diet, physical activity or both. A fourth group acting as the control received no advice. Measures of body fat and markers of heart disease risk (such as waist circumference and cholesterol levels) were collected at the beginning and end of the trial.

The advice followed healthy eating guidelines and recommended:

• a reduced daily calorie intake, which was low in fat (35% of calorie intake) and high in carbohydrates (55% of calorie intake)

• that one tenth of their total calorie intake included sugar - around the average for a British adult. To achieve this goal, subjects were advised to include high carbohydrate snacks such as low fat cereal bars and low fat yogurts (containing at least 20g sugar) between two and four times per day, depending on their energy needs.

• an increase in activity levels focused on including sixty minutes of brisk walking per day.

Writing in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, the researchers noted that after three months, the group combining the sugar-containing diet and activity c
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Contact: Dr. Sandra Drummond
sdrummond@qmu.ac.uk
44-013-131-73532
The Sugar Bureau
9-Jul-2007