It has been one of the big fads to hit the dieting scene in the last couple of years, but now Australian scientists are warning that the Paleo diet can actually make you larger.
The Paleo diet is based on the diet of a caveman: with the idea that processed foods are the reason behind the increased weight gain in modern society. That means a diet of mainly meat, fish and vegetables—and no carbs, sugars or processed foods.
A team out of the University of Melbourne put two groups of overweight mice on either a normal diet or the Paleo diet, and found that the group on the Paleo diet ended up putting on more weight—15% more, in only two months, to be exact. They also found that yheir glucose intolerance increased, and their insulin levels rose, which both increase the risk of diabetes.
University of Melbourne lead research, Dr. Sof Andrikopoulos, explains: “To put that in perspective, for a 100 kilogram person, that’s the equivalent of 15 kilograms in two months. That’s extreme weight gain.”
“We are told to eat zero carbs and lots of fat on the Paleo diet. Our model tried to mimic that, but we didn’t see any improvements in weight or symptoms. In fact, they got worse. The bottom line is it’s not good to eat too much fat... This is a very important public health message here. You need to be very careful with fad diets, always seek professional advice for weight management and always aim for diets backed by evidence.”
Looks like the jury may still be out for Paleo—have you tried it with success?
Want to know more about food and health? Read our article about whether alcohol is good or bad for you.
Photo credit: Eat Drink Paleo