According to researchers, it is better to restrict dietary fat in order to reduce body fat compared to limiting carbohydrates. Their study has been published in Cell Metabolism. The finding is opposite to what is generally thought.

They came up with the finding in the face of the fact that a low-carb diet leads to reduced insulin and increased fat burning. The study was conducted on 19 obese adult volunteers. They were made to stay in a metabolic ward for a number of days. And researchers checked and controlled their food intake during that period.

It was found that once the two dieting periods were over, that body fat loss was more when dietary fat was limited as compared to restriction on carbohydrates.

Data from a number of controlled feeding studies has been used to come up with mathematical models of impact of different nutrients on human body weight and metabolism. Study researcher Kevin Hall, Ph. D., who is also a metabolism researcher at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, has been involved in the work.

Dr. Frank Hu, Ph. D., professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, said that more significant factors are there for weight loss.

According to Hu, also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, "This was a small study and it was done [under] controlled lab conditions. It doesn't necessarily apply to the way people live. In real life, people make choices and don't always adhere to a diet that fosters weight loss over the long run".