For people who want to lose weight, restricting calories in their diet is key.
But scientists suggest that while calorie quantity is important, calorie quality plays a big role, too.
The calories we consume may bring us benefit or harmful effects, and we need to pay attention to that.
For example, you use a low-calorie diet to lose weight, but most calories of your diet are from added sugar and processed food that are high-fat and high-salt.
Even the calorie number is fine, you still can get higher risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.
But if most calories of your diet are from fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, nuts and beans, you not only lose weight but also keep your body healthy.
In a recent study from UC Davis, researchers confirm this view.
They find that drinking sugar-sweetened beverages are linked to higher heart disease risk when compared to equal amounts of starch.
In addition, a diet rich in polyunsaturated fats, such as those in some vegetable oils, seeds and nuts are associated with reduced disease risk.
In one previous study, we talk about sugar-sweetened beverages, such as juice and soda, are linked to higher risk of metabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes.
For people who drank as few as two servings of sugar-sweetened beverages a week, their type 2 diabetes risk increases.
In the UC Davis study, the researchers find for calories are not equal with regards to effects on cardiometabolic disease and obesity.
The team of 22 nutrition researchers conclude that sugar-sweetened beverages play a unique role in chronic health problems. The disease risk increases even when there are no extra calories in people’s diet.
The researchers also find that sugar substitute aspartame does not cause weight gain in adults. This sounds good news to people trying to lose weight.
But recent research shows that diet sodas and other lite drinks that contain artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose are linked to higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
Although diet sodas have lower calories, they may make people have a greater appetite for sugar and a tendency to overeat.
Diet sodas make the body produce less hormone for pancreatic insulin secretion and interfere with glucose metabolism.
In one article, we mentioned that some artificial sweeteners may benefit our health. For example, one artificial sweetener called stevia may help improve blood pressure and glucose tolerance.
So, you need to be wise to choose the right type of sweetener.
To summarize, not all calories in your diet are equal. Always choose healthy whole foods even though you want fewer calories.
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