Well-known health and nutrition expert Dr Michael Mosley has warned people against following a low fat diet to try and shed the pounds.
A familiar face on on our screens, the weight loss guru created the 5:2 and Fast 800 diets and has explained that simply cutting out fat is not a sure-fire way to lose weight. In an article on the Fast 800 website, Dr Mosley said that while "‘go on a low-fat diet’ has been the advice of dieticians and doctors for the last half century" there is actually "remarkably little evidence that such regimes are effective".
Read more: I tried Michael Mosley's Fast 800 diet for a week and couldn't believe the results
He then pointed to an example by The Women’s Health Initiative. He said it was "a massive study that began back in 1991". He added: "Approximately 48,800 women were randomly allocated to either a low-fat diet or to a control group (‘stick to what you are doing’). At the end of eight years those on a low-fat diet were just .88 of a pound lighter than the control group and there was no difference in rates of heart disease or cancer."
But if low fat doesn't work, what does he suggest? "Choose a Mediterranean diet, rich in fruit and vegetables, but also olive oil, nuts and the occasional glass of red wine," said Dr Mosley who was born in India. "It’s a far better way to lose weight and reduce your risk of heart disease than a low-fat diet."
One of WalesOnline's reporters Lydia Stephens tried the Fast 800 diet for a week and couldn't believe the results.
Dr Mosley is far from alone in his view on fat. An article by the Nutrigenomics Institute pointed to several issues with cutting out fats including vitamin deficiencies, risks to your immune system, fatigue and even weight gain!
Dr Mosley has also warned against the "diet myth" that exercise helps you lose weight, saying "that isn't what actually happens".
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