The Eternal Carb Question

It’s the never-ending debate among nutritionists and athletes — how low should you go with 

your carbohydrate intake? 

When it comes to maintaining your weight, a recent study in the journal BMJ may have the answer. 

Since metabolism tends to slow down after people lose weight, researchers wanted to test 
whether diet composition

could combat this effect. They supplied 164 adults who had

recently lost weight with meals controlled for protein and fat content but contained either 20, 

40 or 60 percent carbs. After 20 weeks, the

researchers found that the low-carb group torched roughly 250 more calories per day than 

the high-carb group, and they theorized that the

low-carb group had reduced levels of ghrelin, the hormone

that increases appetite and promotes the storage of
body fat.

However, a diet that is low in carbohydrates is difficult to follow long term, and the number 

of carbs you need greatly depends on your goals (weight loss, maintenance, muscle building, performance)

as well as your age, genetics and activity level: Some athletes

do well on a low-carb diet, but others need more to maintain

their fitness routine. “It might come down to trial and error

to figure out what works for you,” says Holly Wyatt, M.D., associate professor of 

endocrinology, metabolism and diabetes at the University

of Colorado, Denver. “But in general, the more active you are, the more carbs and calories you can have in your diet.”