Small diet adjustments now can make a big difference later

Seemingly minuscule changes to the types of proteins and carbohydrates people consume can profoundly affect long-term weight maintenance, according to a new study at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University.

Evidence spans over 16 years of followup among 120,000 men and women in the US in the study, published in the American

Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Diets with a high glycemic load (GL), which is found in refined grains, starches and sugars, lead to long-term weight gain, according to the researchers.

Although prior studies have linked GL with chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, this is the first to establish a relationship between GL and long-term weight gain.

Every four years, the research team observed changes in types of proteins consumed in relation to participants’ weight changes.

Increased consumption of red meat and processed meat was most strongly associated with weight gain.

Eating more yoghurt, seafood, skinless chicken and nuts was most strongly associated with weight loss.

Consuming more dairy products such as full-fat cheese, whole milk and low-fat milk did not seem to influence participants' weight one way or another.

“The fat content of dairy products did not seem to be important for weight gain,” says first author Dr. Jessica Smith of Friedman. “In fact, when people consumed more low-fat dairy products, they actually increased their consumption of carbs, which may promote weight gain. This suggests that people compensate, over years, for the lower calories in lowfat dairy by increasing their carb intake.”

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