Why Does Low Carb Only Work For Your Friends? Science Has The Answers

The truth is out. There’s a reason why your friend lost all the weight by eating cheese all day and instead you gained 6 pounds…

According to a new study by North Carolina State University, Weight gain may depend on how an individual’s genes reacts to certain diets.

Four strains of mice fared differently on four different diets, William Barrington of North Carolina State University in Raleigh reported July 15 at the Allied Genetics Conference.

The Diets

The carb-laden Western diet

A traditional Mediterranean or Japanese diet (usually considered healthy)

A very low-carb, fat-rich ketogenic diet

The Results

Type 1 – The Lucky Ones

The first mouse type didn’t react to dietary changes. That genetic type didn’t gain much weight or have changes in insulin or cholesterol no matter what they ate AKA this is the dream.

Type 2 – The Middle Ground

In contrast, the second batch of mice gained weight on all but the Japanese diet. Those mice’s blood sugar shot up — a hallmark of diabetes — on a Mediterranean diet, but decreased on the Japanese diet.

Type 3 – The Slow Burners

The third didn’t get fat on the Western diet, but became obese and developed high cholesterol and other health problems on the ketogenic diet.

Although early days, this may go some way to explaining why the standard diet may not work for everyone. It really does seem to be that a one-size-fits-all ‘eat a salad’ approach doesn’t work.

Do you have a favourite type of diet for losing weight? Which works best for you?