The Low-Fat vs. Low-Carb Diet Debate Has a New Answer

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This article originally appeared on Time.com.

If there’s one message that most people get about their diet, it’s to cut back on fat. Too much fat, especially the saturated fat and cholesterol found in animal meat, dairy products and cheese, can clog up arteries and lead to heart disease, stroke and obesity.

But fat may not be only culprit in those unhealthy conditions. In recent years, studies have revealed that cutting back on fat doesn’t always contribute to a lower risk of heart disease or reduced chance of dying early. In fact, some studies show the opposite, that people who eat extremely low amounts of fat tend to die earlier.

MORE: Does a Low-Carb Diet Really Beat Low-Fat?

That may be because of something else they’re eating instead. In one of the most comprehensive studies to date looking at how diet affects health and mortality, researchers led by a team at McMaster University report that rather than lowering fat, more people might benefit from lowering the amount of carbohydrates they eat. In a study published in the Lancet, they found that people eating high quantities of carbohydrates, which are found in breads and rice, had a nearly 30% higher risk of dying during the study than people eating a low-carb diet. And people eating high-fat diets had a 23% lower chance of dying during the study’s seven years of follow-up compared to people who ate less fat.

The results, say the authors, point to the fact that rather than focusing on fat, health experts should be advising people to lower the amount of carbohydrates they eat. In the study, which involved 135,000 people from 18 different countries, the average diet was made up of 61% carbohydrates, 23% fat and 15% protein. In some countries, like China, south Asia and Africa, however, the amount of carbohydrates in the diet was much higher, at 63% to 67%. More than half of the people in the study consumed high-carbohydrate diets.

MORE: Know Right Now: Why Low-Fat Diets Might Not Solve Your Health Problems

The findings add more data to the continuing debate over the best advice for healthy eating. When the focus on cholesterol emerged in the 1970s, connecting fatty foods and heart disease, doctors urged people to reduce the fat in their diet by cutting back on red meat, dairy products, eggs and fried foods. Food makers took up the mantra, and pumped out products low in fat. But they replaced the fat with carbohydrates, which scientists now understand may be just as unhealthy, if not more so, than fat.

That’s because carbohydrates are easily stored as glucose in the body, and they can raise blood sugar levels, contributing to obesity and diabetes — both of which are also risk factors for heart disease.

MORE: The Case for Whole Milk

So why has there been so much focus on fat? The researchers say that the first studies to link fat to heart disease were conducted primarily in North America and Europe, which has the highest consumption of fat worldwide. It’s possible that different diet advice may be needed for different populations. In western cultures, where there is an excess of fat, reducing fat may play a role in lowering heart disease, as long as people aren’t replacing the fat with carbohydrates.

MORE: Ending the War on Fat

In other parts of the world, where carbohydrates make up a large part of the diet, cutting back on carbs may make more sense than focusing on fat. “Individuals with high carbohydrate intake might benefit from a reduction in carbohydrate intake and an increase in the consumption of fats,” the study authors write.

More study will also be needed to figure out exactly how much fat and how much carbohydrates should be recommended for optimal health. The study did not compare, for example, people who ate low-fat diets to those who ate low-carb diets to see how their diets affected their mortality.

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4 Simple Ways to Hit Reset on Your Diet After Labor Day

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Summer can feel like one looong semi-vacation—and it's easy to fall into the trap of the "anything goes" vacay mindset for oh, three whole months. If you've indulged more often than you planned (hello, BBQ, ice cream, and many glasses of frosé!), you may be itching to get back on track, and recommit to clean eating this fall. Here are a few simple ways you can prepare to hit reset after Labor Day.

Eat every 3 to 5 hours

And start with breakfast, even if you don’t feel especially hungry first thing in the morning. Regular meals help regulate your hunger hormones, keep your blood sugar and insulin levels steady, and maximize your metabolism—which are all key factors for seeing quick weight-loss results.

Get in the habit of prepping clean meals and snacks, and choose some go-to recipes, so you can stock up on the right ingredients. A good breakfast option is a veggie and avocado omelet, with a side of fresh fruit. For lunch try fresh greens lightly tossed with vinaigrette made from balsamic vinegar, Dijon, lemon, and Italian seasoning; and topped with lean protein, avocado, and a small scoop of quinoa or chickpeas.

At dinner you can't go wrong with a veggie “pasta": Sauté a generous portion of veggies in low-sodium veggie broth with garlic and herbs, and serve over a bed of cooked spaghetti squash. Then add a lean protein on top, and garnish with sliced almonds. If there’s a long stretch between lunch and dinner, snack on nuts or seeds and fresh fruit.

This fall become the type of person who packs a lunch! Sign up for our 21-Day Healthy Lunch Challenge now

Commit to H2O

Making water your beverage of choice is one of the most impactful changes you can adopt. Why? There are lots of reasons: Water curbs appetite, and supports metabolism, digestion, and circulation. It can also do wonders for your skin, and help you de-bloat from sodium-triggered fluid retention.

Start weaning yourself off bubbly beverages, and all drinks sweetened with sugar and even natural, no-cal substitutes. Also, begin every day with a tall glass of water; then sip three 16-ounce servings throughout the day. If you don’t like water plain, add lemon or lime, sliced cucumber and mint, or slightly mashed berries.

This strategy is one of the quickest ways to flatten your belly, and get sweet cravings under control. One of my personal tricks is to fill an eight-cup water filtering pitcher at night and finish it the next day. If I’m going to be away from home, I use the pitcher to fill a stainless steel bottle to take with.

RELATED: 14 Surprising Causes of Dehydration

Cut back, but don’t omit carbs

Yes, curbing carbs can help you shed pounds, but in my experience, nixing them altogether can backfire. A no-carb diet may lead to crankiness, and cravings that trigger binge eating. It can also lead people to consume an excessive number of calories from low-carb foods like nuts. Instead of banishing carbs, I recommend including a small serving of fiber- and nutrient-rich carbohydrates in each meal. Think of them as an accent, not the main attraction.

For example, at breakfast you might have a cup of fresh fruit, or a half cup of cooked oats. Then at lunch and dinner, have half-cup portions of foods like quinoa, brown rice, pulses, and sweet potato. Increase the amount if needed, based on your activity level, but make sure the veggie portion of each meal is at least twice the size of the carb-heavy side.

I recommend breaking out your measuring cups to put together your meals—at least for a little while. It's a pain, but it will help you become familiar with these new portion sizes, so eventually they become second nature.

RELATED: 14 Roasted Vegetable Recipes You Have to Try This Fall

Stock up on dark chocolate

Slashing sugar is a good idea, but it’s not realistic to declare that a speck of sugar will never again cross your lips. To get your fix healthfully, and with fewer calories, make a few squares of dark chocolate (with at least 70% cacao) your daily treat. Research has shown that a small amount of dark chocolate can satisfy cravings for both sweet and salty foods. It also packs antioxidants and minerals, and is hearty-healthy too. You might savor one square after lunch, and another after dinner. Many clients tell me that knowing they have this treat to look forward to every day helps them say "no" to temptations, and stay on track.

Cynthia Sass is Health’s contributing nutrition editor, a New York Times best-selling author, and a consultant for the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets.

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You Asked: Can You Lose Weight Just from Your Stomach?

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This article originally appeared on Time.com.

Whether you have some extra weight in your upper arms or rear end, it makes sense that targeting those areas with exercise—curls for your arms, lunges for your butt—would slim them down.

Weight-loss experts refer to this as “spot reduction.” But it turns out that in most cases, this kind of laser-focused weight loss isn’t possible. One study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that six weeks of intensive ab workouts did nothing to slim the exercisers’ midsections. A related study found that 12-weeks of one-armed workouts resulted in less loose skin in the trained arm, but zero fat loss.

Working out just one part of your body probably won’t slim it down, but some body parts are more likely to shed fat when you exercise. Your stomach is one of them.

MORE: The TIME Guide To Exercise

“Some fat deposits are more metabolically active than others, and those may be more responsive to exercise interventions,” says Arthur Weltman, a professor of medicine and chair of the department of kinesiology at the University of Virginia. “Abdominal fat in particular is one of the most metabolically active fats.”

When you exercise, your workouts trigger the release of hormones, Weltman explains. The higher the exercise intensity, the more of these hormones your body pumps out, and the more of that metabolically active fat you lose. (Some of Weltman’s research suggests that high intensity interval training (HIIT), in particular, may slim your midsection.)

If you have fat stored in your gut, arms and chest, a lot of your fat is metabolically active, so it will likely respond to exercise and diet changes, he says. That’s especially true of your abdominal fat. The bad news is that extra fat in these regions is also linked with a greater risk for diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other ailments.

MORE: How Apple Cider Vinegar May Help With Weight Loss

On the other hand, if you store excess fat in the hips, butt and thighs, that fat is not metabolically active. You have a lower risk for many diseases, "but that fat is very hard to reduce,” he says.

What type of exercise is best for targeting the tummy? One studycompared strength training to aerobic training in terms of fat reduction in different parts of the body and found that while aerobic training—running, swimming, cycling—led to greater whole-body fat loss, resistance training targeted abdominal fat in particular.

In a nutshell, spot-targeting fat isn't very effective—in most cases. But if you’re trying to lose fat around your stomach, a mix of resistance training and high-intensity aerobic exercise, along with a healthy diet, may help reduce your belly fat.

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Oprah Says Her Weight Troubles Were 'Always Such a Physical, Spiritual, Emotional Burden'

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How to Trick Your Brain into Eating Less, According to an Expert in 'Gastrophysics'

Author Charles Spence says this new "science of eating" can help you lose weight.

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Can a DNA Test Really Pinpoint Your Perfect Diet and Workout? Here's What Science Says

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It sounds either too good or too futuristic to be true: With a swab of the inside of your cheek, you can find out the answers to questions that plague us all: Why can't I lose weight? Why can't I sleep? What exercises should I do for a perkier butt?

This is the claim from a new crop of so-called lifestyle DNA tests—genetic tests that, rather than estimate your risk of developing various diseases, provide clues regarding your nutrition, fitness, sleep, even your taste in wine.

In July, lifestyle DNA tests inched closer to mainstream with the launch of Helix, a first-of-its-kind marketplace for personal genome products: For $80, Helix will use a saliva sample to sequence your entire genetic code. (Unlike other at-home DNA tests, Helix looks at all 22,000 of your genes, not just specific gene variants.) Then you can pay for analysis of your results through products designed by third-party vendors that partner with Helix.

The idea is to enable users to get even more info out of their DNA sequencing, explains James Lu, MD, PhD, one of Helix’s co-founders and its SVP of applied genomics. Accessible genetic data can make insights you’re already tracking–say, on a calorie-counting app, or fitness wearable–even more salient. "It's the next layer of information people have about themselves," he says.

RELATED: 25 Exercises You Can Do Anywhere

Helix users have 33 products to choose from. There's SlumberType, which promises to unlock how your DNA affects your sleep. Muscle Builder offers to reveal  "your genetic response to exercise," and provide a 12-week "genetically-guided" training plan. And EmbodyDNA, by popular weight-loss app Lose It!, recommends slimming foods based on your genes.

The products, which range from around $25 to a couple hundred bucks, comb through your genome looking for markers linked to specific traits. (For each analysis you purchase, Helix only provides access to the portion of your genome that’s relevant.) For example, you might have a genetic marker common among night owls, or people with higher BMIs. Knowing you’re predisposed to a late bedtime might be extra incentive to cut back on caffeine, explains Dr. Lu; or knowing you’re predisposed to a high BMI might make you think twice about having bacon at brunch.

If that doesn't sound like the quick fix you were expecting, that’s because there is "no magic DNA pill," Dr. Lu says. Instead, he sees Helix as a source of extra insight into your wellbeing that can help you make healthier decisions.

In fact, many of the recommendations you'll get through Helix are based on more than your genes alone. Take, for example, Wine Explorer: For $30, the product will suggest bottles "scientifically selected based on your DNA." But Wine Explorer also asks questions about your wine preferences to learn more about other factors that influence taste beyond your genes. Dr. Lu compares the product to Netflix. "Wine Explorer builds a profile based on genetic markers, and then when you get wine, you rate them, which helps it make better predictions over time," he says.

RELATED: 14 Fad Diets You Shouldn't Try

Suggestions for the best diet or exercise routine for you may also not be as genetically tailored as you'd hope. For starters, research shows genetics often play only a small role in the effects of diet and exercise, explains Erica Ramos, the president-elect of the National Society of Genetic Counselors. "When studies see a difference between a group with a genetic variant and [a group] without it, pounds lost or muscle built tends to be on a fairly small range," Ramos says.

It seems your behavior matters a lot more than your DNA in these instances. Based on your genes, "there might be a slightly higher chance you'd lose weight with a certain type of diet, but that doesn't mean you couldn't gain weight on it if you're eating more than you're burning," explains Ramos, who is also a clinical genomic specialist at Illumina, a research company backing Helix.

She says the recommendations through Helix aren't meant to be a specific plan for execution, but rather a guide: "As we get more insight into the little things that impact us, I think the hope is we’ll be able to see what we can tweak to be happier and healthier."

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Joann Bodurtha, MD, a professor of pediatrics and oncology at the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, adds that diet recommendations based on genetic testing are probably not individualized enough yet to be helpful. For example, she says, "most people will benefit from eating a Mediterranean diet," and it's tough to tell if the eating plan benefits those with a certain genetic marker more than than those without the marker.

Yet another caveat to the science behind lifestyle DNA tests: Some of the research used to formulate recommendations was done on very specific populations. Research in Olympic athletes, for instance, suggests that there are genetic characteristics of the muscles that might predispose someone to be a better sprinter than a long-distance runner—but we don’t yet know how those findings apply to those of us with less ambitious fitness goals, Dr. Bodurtha says.

She recommends considering lifestyle DNA tests with "a healthy dose of skepticism," especially any that offer to tell you exactly what to eat or how to exercise. She’s also concerned that they might serve as a distraction, and lead people to ignore more established markers of poor health. "You don’t want somebody saying, 'I'm out of breath and my fingers are turning blue, but my DNA test told me I wasn't likely to have a heart attack.'"

That said, Dr. Bodurtha recognizes that DNA tests are exciting (who isn’t at least a little curious?!­) and that the field is progressing fast. "If they help you exercise more, or be a little more attentive to your diet, they fall into the 'Do No Harm' category," she says.

Bottom line? As long as you know what a company is doing with your genetic information (that means reading the privacy regulations, even though it won't be fun); you have an easy-to-understand explanation from the company about what your results can and can’t tell you; and you’re ready to face the sometimes surprising results ("You have a half-brother!"), it probably won’t hurt for curious folks to give lifestyle DNA tests a try.

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