In a breakthrough study, scientists from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and the Chinese army of sciences in Beijing have revealed that fat consumption is the only cause of obesity. This is the largest study carried out to find out the components of the diet that puts up body fat in mice. The study was carried out among five strains of mice that are fed with varying components of fat, protein and carbohydrate. The total duration of the experiment was 3 months which is equivalent to 9 years in humans.
Obesity has been the precursor for many health complications such as Diabetes. But the cause of obesity has not been established. It is widely accepted and believed that consumption of fat and high-calorie foods have been the major contributor to obesity. But there are others who brought in a hypothesis that says protein has been the main culprit. Generally, we consume more food to meet target protein intake. In such a process we tend to consume more calories than needed, and hence we get fat. Whatever may be the scenario, it is complicated to corner a particular diet for obesity.
Our diet is composed of proteins, carbohydrates and fats and it is challenging to know the right healthy diet to stay fit and slim. In the current study, researchers seem to have solved the biggest mystery behind the cause of obesity to date. They carried out the largest study and found that it is indeed the fat in the diet that leads to obesity. Let’s have a detailed insight in the study carried out.
Research study
The scientists fed mouse with varying diets of carbohydrates, proteins and fats for a period of three months that is equivalent to 9 years in humans. They carried out 1,00,000 measurements of body weight changes and measured body fat using micro MRI machine. The results demonstrated that it is the fat in the diet that is responsible for obesity. Carbohydrates that included 30% of calories coming from sugar did not have any effect. Also, the combination of carbohydrates and fat in the diet has less impact on obesity than fat alone. Further, there is also no evidence to the modern hypothesis that says low protein stimulates greater intake of calories.
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However, some may argue that the study is carried out in mice and it may not apply to humans. But, there are a lot of similarities in the physiology and metabolism of mice and humans. It is very likely that the results would be the same and applies to the humans as well.
