To lose weight? You have to remove the pasta ... how many times have you heard this statement. Well, the time has come to change your mind because, as shown by a recent scientific research published by an Italian team of the University of Parma (Rosi et al, Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, Jun 2020), following the guidelines of the Mediterranean diet and without removing bread and pasta it is possible to reduce body weight by 10%.
The researchers recruited 49 overweight people. The volunteers were divided into two groups based on their personal preferences regarding pasta consumption. In particular, the first group consisted of those who usually consumed more than five portions of pasta per week, while the second group consisted of those who consumed less than three portions of pasta per week. The volunteers were then followed for 12 months during which they were asked to follow the Mediterranean diet, with a prevalence of vegetables, whole grains, fruit and legumes, but maintaining their personal preference regarding carbohydrates. Therefore, the first group could continue to consume the usual portions of pasta, always respecting the guidelines of the Mediterranean Diet, while the second group could limit the consumption of pasta but prefer bread and other sources of cereals. What emerged at the end of the research was that in both groups there was an improvement in the metabolism of both carbohydrates and fats. Moreover, a reduction in fat mass and body weight was also observed. Weight reduction was slightly higher in the first group than in the second. In fact, the first group showed a 10% decrease in body weight against 7% of the second group. Not only that, the researchers were also able to observe that the first group, the one who ate more than five portions of pasta per week, reported an improvement in the perceived quality of life, feeling healthier and more active. However, this was not observed in the second group.
So, to lose weight you don't need to remove the pasta!
