A new study from the University of Sydney has found that high protein diets are more effective in helping young women manage their weight than diets high in carbohydrates.

The study looked at the effect of diet, exercise and behaviour change in overweight and obese women aged 18-25.

Researcher Dr Helen O’Connor and her colleagues tracked 71 overweight and obese women aged 18-25 years over 12 months.

The women were randomly placed the women on either a higher-protein or a higher-carbohydrate diet, making sure both diets provided a similar amount of kilojoules, saturated fat and fibre, and included lower glycaemic index foods. All participants were also prescribed an exercise program of 30 minutes daily walking.

After 12 months, significant drops in body weight were seen with both diets. However, according to Dr O’Connor, weight and fat loss on the higher-protein diet were close to double that of the higher-carbohydrate diet.

Dr O’Connor said, “The women on the higher-protein also had better iron levels, compared with the women on the higher-carbohydrate diet.”

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