AHS16 - Ancestral Health Symposium 2016

The aim of the study was to assess the effects of a 12-week trial of a low carbohydrate, high fat (LCHF) diet on metabolic health outcomes of New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel with a BMI> 25 kg.m2. 43 personnel were randomly assigned to either a control (low fat, moderate-high carbohydrate) or an intervention (LCHF) group. Anthropometric, lipid (HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides) and glycaemic measures (serum glucose, serum insulin, HbA1c). were taken at 0,4,8 and 12 weeks. The LCHF group had a significantly greater decrease in weight and increase in HDL-cholesterol, while the triglycerides and TG:HDL ratio, also improved compared to the control group. The LCHF diet was superior for improving metabolic health outcomes when compared to mainstream nutrition recommendations. This dietary approach has been adopted within a health clinic for Unfit for Operational Service personnel on a naval base, with the potential to implement on a wider scale.