Compared to the control group, whose diets had the same macronutrient composition (20% protein, 30–35% fat, 45–50% carbohydrates) and were calorically identical (1,300-1,500kcal) the subjects who ate all their carbs in the evening lost more weight and body fat and experienced a 19% greater reduction in waist circumference (cf. figure 1). Subjects in the high carb dinner group also reported a 13.7% higher rate in satiety at the end of the 180 day weight loss intervention, while the satiety scores of the control group decreased by -5.9% compared to baseline - and that despite a smaller drop in 12h leptin concentrations in the experimental group.
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| Figure 2: Changes of serum parameters in subjects following the "no-carb before dinner" vs. control diet after 90 and 180 days of dieting; values representing differences (experimental vs. control diet) in percental changes from baseline,e.g. -20% indicates that the respective value decreased by 20% more in the experimental group (data adapted from Sofer. 2011) |
The beneficial effects on blood parameters were less pronounced than the anthropometric ones, but still significant (cf. figure 2) and, with the exception of a nonsignificant increase in triglycerides and total cholesterol, display a general trend towards greater improvements in the experimental group. And it is likely that the 44% increase in adiponectin in the experimental group (vs. 14% increase in control) is one of the causative factors of these improvements.
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SOME COMMENTARIES here: Does this reporting support or challenge your ideas regarding leptin - Paleo Hacks.com
eg:
"I asked a carb backloading question a while back and I am so glad to see you bring it up again - with the ANDRO stamp of approval! Keifer's site has a bit more on this. I've also looked into his carb nite solution. I've been saving carbs for night time, using resistance exercise as well of course and have noticed the following - smaller waist size, better sleep and interestingly better skin quality. Also, I am finally making gains in the squat deadlift department - the quest for booty continues.
I am interested in leptin control, I have been following Dr. K, I read Rosedale, I also read the blogs like Keifer's and T-Nation, etc. to get their take. I am starting from a place of senstivity, so I guess the evening carbs prolly work well for me because of that. Also, the training, I train pretty heavy.
IFing doesn't work well for me - I think fasting maybe does weird things in women - but that's speculation. Dr. Eades likes to say a high fat/protein low carb diet mimics starving, without the calories restriction. So, I've not been fasting during the day, rather I've been eating vlc until night.
A good study, I like it. I would be careful not to interpret this so much as "carbs past 6 are good" rather than "carbs for breakfast are bad", that is the conclusion and partially explains why low carb diets are so good for quick short-term fat loss.
I think the key here is that the group only rating carbs in the PM are having their blood sugar spike less often and therefore a better overall balance
I guess I am getting more picky, but before I would take away anything from a study such as this, I'd like to see the individual data for each subject. I do not believe in the overall averages as an indication of anything. I don't care all that much about what hormonal pattern he sees, since I am pretty much sure that I follow a different pattern. Putting the carbs in the evening is popular in a number of plans, including the Carb Addicts diet. Even Dr. K suggests keeping breakfast low in carbs. I try to keep carbs low in the early part of the day, since carbs in the morning greatly increase afternoon and evening cravings. I am not sure why this is so, and for me I don't really care all that much because by being on a low-carb, grain-free diet, the carbs are so easy to avoid anyway. I am already certain that it is hormonal. IF'ing with both food and carb-eating in the afternoon and evening did not work for me. What concerns me about a number of these studies is what I also see in the CW studies and "evidence-based" recommendations. That is, to do a study on healthy young men, badly apply it to fat old women, broadcast their ONE RIGHT WAY, and then admonish the women when it doesn't work for them.
For me I am following this with interest but the jury is still out, lots more research is needed. As for me I have always naturally tended to eat little throughout the day and eat heavy at night. A lot of my people follow a similar pattern and when I speak to Elders they say that it was very similar in the time before the white man changed things. They tend to get up early, might have a light meal/snack then get work done / go hunting, then the tribe gathers for a large common meal before sundown."
