A high-fat diet keeps you slimmer than a high-carb diet - research

That's what the researchers (1) are saying after testing two diets - one based on healthy mono-unsaturated fats like olive oil and the other high in carbohydrates. The 'fat' diet will give you a flatter belly

Why Belly Fat Is Particularly Bad

Excess belly fat has long been associated with an increased risk of heart disease, strokes and diabetes. However, more recent research also suggests a link between abdominal fat and a range of other diseases, including diabetes, some cancers and even age-related dementias

In a study of overweight people, a Mediterranean-style diet - where approximately 30 percent to 40 percent of the calories came from mono-unsaturated fats, like olive, avocado and macadamia oils � helped prevent the development of a large gut (paunch)

The researchers found this diet had another bonus � it helped people maintain better insulin sensitivity. Not so with the high-carbohydrate diet, which seemed to encourage body fat to relocate to people's bellies

Throughout Grow Youthful, I have emphasised that if you want a long life with great health, you need to maintain a low and stable blood sugar level. To do this, avoid processed foods, especially sugar and refined carbohydrates. The emphasis on low fat foods is misdirected. We should be seeking low sugar (or no sugar) foods, and enjoy all of their natural fats

If you are overweight, keep in mind that switching to olive oil isn't going to do much to trim your middle, unless you also follow these two must-do's: a low and slow carbohydrate diet, and regular exercise

(1) Monounsaturated fat-rich diet prevents central body fat distribution and decreases postprandial adiponectin expression induced by a carbohydrate-rich diet in insulin-resistant subjects. Paniagua, J. A. et al., Diabetes Care 2007 Jul;30(7):1717-1723.