Men lose TWICE as much fat as women when dieting, scientists discover
DIETING works better for men than women, a study found.
Edinburgh University scientists say the female sex hormone, oestrogen, makes it harder for women to lose weight by cutting calories.
In a four-week fat camp for 42 people, men lost 16 per cent of their body weight while women only shed half as much, at eight per cent.
Study author Professor William Cawthorn said: “We think this is because oestrogen promotes fat storage for fertility, because pregnancy requires a lot of energy.
“Men’s bodies seem to be able to sustain a higher metabolic rate even when they have fewer calories.
“People can get discouraged if it doesn’t look like a diet is working but it can still have health benefits for women even if they’re not losing a lot of weight.
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“There is a focus on dieting to lose weight because we’re worried about how we look, rather than dieting for health.”
In a boost for women, however, the gender divide disappeared in participants over the age of 45 and both sexes lost 10 per cent.
The study compared male and female dieting in both humans and mice and found the same results.
Men were limited 2,000 calories per day and women to 1,500 calories, compared to the recommended intake of 2,500kcal and 2,000kcal.
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As well as losing more weight, males also lowered their blood sugar more effectively by dieting.
Two thirds of Brits are overweight or obese and around half of us are on a diet at any given time.
Writing in the journal eLife, Prof Cawthorn said hormones make men and women’s bodies react differently to low-calorie diets.
As women age and hit the menopause their oestrogen drops, which explains why dieting works equally well in older people.
Prof Cawthorn added: “Our study is the first to show that these differences largely disappear at older ages.
“This suggests that if women have not been able to lose fat through dieting when they’re younger they may have more success when they’re older.”