http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19901139

Long-term Effects of a Very Low-Carbohydrate Diet and a Low-Fat Diet on Mood and Cognitive Function
Grant D. Brinkworth, PhD; Jonathan D. Buckley, PhD; Manny Noakes, PhD; Peter M. Clifton, PhD; Carlene J. Wilson, PhD


Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(20):1873-1880.

Background Very low-carbohydrate (LC) diets are often used to promote weight loss, but the long-term effects on psychological function remain unknown.

Methods A total of 106 overweight and obese participants (mean [SE] age, 50.0 [0.8] years; mean [SE] body mass index [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared], 33.7 [0.4]) were randomly assigned either to an energy-restricted (approximately 1433-1672 kcal [to convert to kilojoules, multiply by 4.186]), planned isocaloric, very low-carbohydrate, high-fat (LC) diet or to a high-carbohydrate, low-fat (LF) diet for 1 year. Changes in body weight, psychological mood and well-being (Profile of Mood States, Beck Depression Inventory, and Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory scores), and cognitive functioning (working memory and speed of processing) were assessed.

Results By 1 year, the overall mean (SE) weight loss was 13.7 (1.8) kg, with no significant difference between groups (P = .26). Over the course of the study, there were significant time x diet interactions for Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Profile of Mood States scores for total mood disturbance, anger-hostility, confusion-bewilderment, and depression-dejection (P < .05) as a result of greater improvements in these psychological mood states for the LF diet compared with the LC diet. Working memory improved by 1 year (P < .001 for time), but speed of processing remained largely unchanged, with no effect of diet composition on either cognitive domain.

Conclusions Over 1 year, there was a favorable effect of an energy-restricted LF diet compared with an isocaloric LC diet on mood state and affect in overweight and obese individuals. Both diets had similar effects on working memory and speed of processing.

Trial Registration anzctr.org.au Identifier: 12606000203550


Author Affiliations: Preventative Health National Research Flagship, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation–Food and Nutritional Sciences (Drs Brinkworth, Noakes, Clifton, and Wilson), Nutritional Physiology Research Centre, Samson Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia (Dr Buckley), and Flinders Centre for Cancer Prevention and Control, School of Medicine, Flinders University (Dr Wilson), Adelaide, Australia.


RELATED ARTICLE


In This Issue of Archives of Internal Medicine
Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(20):1828.
FULL TEXT

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What do you think about this?
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I am not surpised they were angry if they did a low-cal low carb diet. They missed out on all the good bits.

Ha ha. I read the article and thought that too. They limited sat fats to 20% (of fats? energy?)

Also at the end the researchers wrote that the mood of both groups was "well within normal ranges." Watch the media report it as if the LC people turned into a combination of Cruella deVille and old Clint Eastwood on a bad day. LOL

I just saw on our local news that the "A" in Atkins stands for angry while the news anchor chimed in "I need my carbs, gotta have em" she said with a smile.

If my feet looked like this I would be mad too Eddy:

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/lif...91110-i622.html

What is UP with those nasty feet???? They are Man feet w/ yucky polish!

Must be a down under thing? I just saw it announced on ABC's GMA and the anchor was laughing with an "I told you so" attitude. The actual ABC article wasn't bad if the whole thing is read, but the headlines are misleading:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/w_Diet...tory?id=9036928

For a full report, not an abstract, go to:

http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/co...ull/169/20/1873

1. The total participants, 65, were 32 LC and 33 LF.
2. All of the participants were within the normal range at conclusion.
3. The major sponsors of the study were large Australian food companies.
4. The mood indicators were not measured against a control group.

You can write any headline you want after wading through the report. How about:"Study shows that those on Low Carbohydrate Diets stay within Normal Mood Range."

I just can't read this stuff...THIS is what makes me angry!

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/1...eref=rss_health

Nice that they brought up (at the end) that the group that started out LC also had twice as many participants on antidepressants at the beginning of the study.

This is science? This is unbiased journalism?

No, the "A" in Atkins stands for Atkins.



When I was a vegan, people would always say to me, "I couldn't give up my steak" - with a smile. Now they all say, "I couldn't give up my carbs" - with a smile.

I've never understood why they feel the need to offer this information. I didn't ask them to give up anything.

A high protein diet is so bad for people. I wonder what effect rabbit starvation has on people and their moods -- it can't be good.

I know a lack of good fats makes me cranky. So does stupidity masquerading as science and journalism.

I knew someone would post something about it here. In my experience the opposite is true. My mood is much improved. I am still sick probably for the rest of my life, but instead of being cranky I am mellowed out. I wish I could say that this diet cured my chronic fatigue symptoms, but at least I am not always on the verge of tears from the constant pain and fatigue. So, I would think almost any healthy person would actually be estatic on with this WOE. I already suspected the study was suspect and I was right. They messed with the formula and didn't let the low carb group eat as much as they needed and the headline was very misleading even with all the problems with the study the low carb group wasn't really angrier than when they started, but doing low carb the wrong way did seem to take it's toll. On the plus side at least they showed both groups lost about the same amount of weight and had similar cognitive function.

I think a better litmus test would be to visit different diet forums and do a "snark" test. LC forums can be bad, but the low fat/low cal forums can be crazy. A bunch of cranky, hungry, unsatisfied fat folks who would do well to eat some nuts or something.

I'm a pretty outgoing kinda girl but I was scared to post questions on the Weight Watchers forum. lol Those peeps are sharks when they smell newbie blood in the water.

http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/169/20/1873

That links the full study again. The mood questionnaires were administered in the fasted state. Same thing with the memory tests. I wonder what the results would have been at three in the afternoon?

So what happens in maintenance, on these same diets? The "low fat" diet was 30 percent fat, 24 percent protein, 46 percent carb. Is this really different enough from SAD, if calories aren't restricted, that these people could expect continued benefits during maintenance?

http://www.springerlink.com/content/7274404875001025/

What does an early morning liver glycogen-dump do to serotonin levels? Is the early morning fasted state the same state in people on a high carb diet as it is in people on Atkins? People on Atkins might both dump less glucose into the bloodstream every morning, and have an altered serotonin response to that glucose.

Interesting on the leptin front; we're told that dietary fat will suppress lipolysis in body fat. Suppressing lipolysis seems to increase leptin levels.


Feeding pure lard actually increased leptin in this study. Maybe you don't have to pound back the glucose to do a leptin refeed.
Leptin resistance becomes simply a normal response to a lack of lipolysis in this scenario.