Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News / Lifestyle

'No easy route' to weight loss: study

By Jack Barlow
Hamilton News·
29 Feb, 2012 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

New research shows people with diabetes looking to lower their weight don't need to count protein or carbs to get the best effect.

Otago University researchers have found the best way to shed kilos is to simply lower overall intake, rather than focus on carbohydrates or protein.

While slightly effective in the short term, these diets balance out in the long term - leaving no difference compared to other diets, and little change overall.

In a study headed by Dr Jeremy Krebs and funded by the Health Research Council, 419 overweight and obese people with diabetes aged 35 to 75 were put on two different low fat diets: one involving a high protein intake and the other with a high carbohydrate intake.

The study lasted two years, and the results were clear cut: there was little difference between the two diets.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The participants did lose weight, but not for the reasons that might be expected. The weight loss was directly linked back to the reduction of total calorie intake - or, rather, the participants eating less.

The head of the study, Dr Jeremy Krebs from Otago University in Wellington, said it showed that dieting is, simply, difficult.

"There's no easy route," he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We certainly did achieve a modest weight loss, of two to three kilos, in both groups, but essentially there was little difference between the two diets.

"This confirms that the solution to weight loss over the long term is reducing energy intake; that is the amount of calories someone eats on a daily basis."

The study also had a 30 per cent drop-out rate, which Dr Krebs said was considerably higher than the standard 20 per cent rate the researchers were anticipating.

"Even those who stuck to the diet, more or less, did not reach the level of protein or carb intake recommended by the study over the two-year period.

"Often people drift back to their old eating habits and the behaviour of many participants in this study also illustrated this tendency.

The real key to obesity in people with type 2 diabetes, and to better blood sugar control, is to focus on cutting calorie intake over the long term."

Dr Krebs stressed that dieting is a strictly personal endeavour - different diets work for different people, and no one diet can function as a cover all.

"People find it hard to stick to any diet - and so we stress that whatever particular diet approach suits a person, they should follow it," he said.

Jim Mann, professor in Human Nutrition and Medicine at the University of Otago as well as the director of the Edgar National Centre for Diabetes and Obesity Research and the WHO Collaborating Centre for Human Nutrition, said the study was an example of common sense.

"It may not sound profound, and that's because it's not, really," he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"But it's really quite an important paper. There is a huge battle at the moment between proponents of the different kinds of diets - high carbohydrate, high protein and so on - but what the study shows is the important thing is for people cut calories, and not obsess about carbs and fat."

"It's putting it out there so people actually get the message."

Food industry nutritionist at the Heart Foundation, Judith Morley-John, agreed, saying that exercising, and eating quality food, was also important.

"It's a great study," she said.

"It's often the quality of the food as well - vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, lean meat and the like.

"Physical activity is really important to weight loss as well," she added.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Of course, prevention is better in the first place."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Lifestyle

Watch: The latest highlights from Smokefreerockquest and Showquest

Waikato Herald

NZ actress accuses Australian policeman of using CCTV to spy on her

Lifestyle

Watch: Smokefreerockquest and Showquest's finals around the motu


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Watch: The latest highlights from Smokefreerockquest and Showquest
Lifestyle

Watch: The latest highlights from Smokefreerockquest and Showquest

Regional finals from Auckland, Canterbury, Far North, Northland, Nelson and Wairarapa.

14 Jul 10:25 PM
NZ actress accuses Australian policeman of using CCTV to spy on her
Waikato Herald

NZ actress accuses Australian policeman of using CCTV to spy on her

06 Jul 12:48 AM
Watch: Smokefreerockquest and Showquest's finals around the motu
Lifestyle

Watch: Smokefreerockquest and Showquest's finals around the motu

03 Jul 06:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP