As the holidays come around each year, many abandon their attempts at  eating healthy and vow to begin watching their diet again in the new year. It’s a familiar scene for many of us which continues to repeat itself each year. However, a new study shows that cutting carbohydrates out of our diets only two days a week can be more effective than a full-fledged diet. That may sounds a bit more palatable (pun intended) for many of us.

So how can this be so? A recent study which was presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium reveled that women who choose to forgo carbohydrate heave foods (pasta, potatoes, bread, rice) two days each week and continued to eat a normal diet the rest of the week lost an average of 9 pounds over a 4 month period. By comparison, women lost only 5 pounds over the same period who maintained a Mediterranean-style diet that didn’t exceed 1,5000 calories per day.  This study was geared particularly at women, who researchers hope may have an easier time following a healthy diet if it is not as extreme as many of the diets frequently promoted in society. This is especially important for women who hab

More importantly, this type of regimen also appears to have more health benefits than just weight lost. The women in the study who cut out carbs two days a week also appeared to have more stable levels of insulin and leptin, which is typically a sign of health.  When these levels are not optimal in the body, they have been known to aid in the development of tumors.

The Study

The study participants were 115 women, all of whom were considered a high breast cancer risk based on their family histories. As part of the study, they were assigned at random to follow one of three possible diets.

Diet # 1. 2 day a week low carb diet that restricted calories to 650 during these 2 days

Diet #2.  2 day a week low carb diet with no calorie restrictions

Diet #3.  Standard 1,500 calories/day Mediterranean-style diet

The Results

Both groups of women from Diet # 1 and Diet #2 were more successful in their overall health than those in Diet #3 group. While researchers say this could definitely prove useful for women in the future, they will be testing the potential link between cancer and carbs in the near future to perhaps prove even more significant results.