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Dr. Fuhrman Dr. Fuhrman

Fruit consumption decreases waist circumference

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Spanish researchers found that a high fruit diet decreases waist circumference more than a diet low in fruit.

The researchers randomly assigned 15 obese women to two diets that both consisted of 55% of calories from carbohydrates, 30% from fat and 15% from protein. The difference between the diets was that one diet was high in fruit, and the other was low in fruit. People on both diets lost weight, but the waist circumference in people on the high fruit decreased significantly more. People on the low fruit diet lost 2.4 cm (1 inch), people on the high fruit diet lost 5.5 cm (2.2 inch). A large waist circumference is now considered an important risk factor for diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer.

The high fruit diet had 26 grams of fiber a day, and 14% calories from fructose. The low fruit diet had 16 grams of fiber a day and 4% calories from fructose.

Of course, this was a small study, but I think the findings are interesting and potentially good news for people who got scared away from eating fruit because some studies indicated that fructose meant weight gain. I personally think a study with humans and fruit is much more relevant than a study with mice and a fructose solution.

Source: Effects of two energy-restricted diets containing different fruit amounts on body weight loss and macronutrient oxidation. (Unfortunately, the full text is not availabe for free. My source is the Dutch Weekblad Groenten en Fruit)

April 7, 2006