Study Suggests Intermittent Low-Carb Diet Helps Lower Weight & Insulin Resistance.

The "Healthland" blog of Time  (12/9, Melnick) reports a study presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium "found that women who eliminated carbohydrate-rich foods...two days a week and ate their normal diet the rest of the time lost an average of 9 lb. over four months," while "women in a similar group who ate a 1,500-cal.-per-day Mediterranean-style diet for the same time period lost only 5 lb." The women on the intermittent diet "also showed greater improvements on other markers of health, including levels of insulin and leptin." The researchers were seeking a "diet that people could actually stick with, especially women who are at high risk of breast cancer."

        The "Booster Shots" blog of the Los Angeles Times  (12/9, Stein) reports, "Low-carb diets have been shown in a number of studies to be superior to regular low-calorie diets for various weight health outcomes, but they're notoriously difficult to stick to."