If you compare a low-fat diet, a low-glycemic index diet, and a very low-carbohydrate diet, how much energy do you burn while simply sitting around? If the calories and level of exercise are the same, is there a difference? A 2012 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association tried to answer this question with surprising results.
Relevance: The SCD (specific carbohydrate diet) falls between the low-glycemic index diet and the very low-carbohydrate diet. If followed moderately, the SCD has a fiber level close to the low-glycemic diet and a carbohydrate load between the low-glycemic and very low-carb diets. (In this case, very low-carb meant Atkins.)
Using 21 obese and young adults, the researchers sought to answer this question by:
(1) 4 weeks: Monitored each person's weight
(2) 12 weeks: Introduced the "Run-in" diet. This led to 12.5% decrease in body weight and the establishment of energy requirements. After the Run-in, researchers knew how much each person need to eat in order to keep a stable weight.
(3) 4 weeks: Weight stabilization.. Maintaining the weight loss with the "run-in" diet.
(4) 12 weeks: Test Phase/Weight Loss Maintenance
Each person tried each of the three diets (low-fat, low-glycemic, very low-carb) for 4 weeks. The diets were tried in random order.
What did they find?
(1) Resting energy expenditure (reason for study):
Low-glycemic index / very low-carb: Good. Used more energy when resting.
Low fat diet: Poor. Used less energy when resting
People on a very low-carb diet burned over 300 calories more over a full day than those on a low-fat diet. The resting energy expenditure was 67 calories more per day when comparing a low-carb to a low-fat diet.
(2)
They compared a
In other words,
the same number o
The SCD is considered a low carbohydrate diet given in it's low percentage of complex carbohydrates.