Study finds that pasta can actually help you lose weight, not gain it

One of the first food groups dieticians, nutritionists and every random person in the comments of a Facebook post will tell you to boot is carbohydrates. They’ve been blamed for the obesity epidemic and have become the undoubted scapegoat for weight gain.

But a new study from St Michael’s Hospital shows that people might be ditching the dish beloved by many for no reason.

Read more: How pasta and potatoes can actually help you lose weight

In the study, around 2 500 people ate pasta instead of other carbs as part of a healthy low-glycemic index diet. Per week, they ate 3.3 servings of pasta instead of other carbs. One serving is approximately ½ a cup of cooked pasta. To be honest, eating pasta as part of scientific research sounds like my dream job.

Pasta has a low-glycemic index, which means it causes a smaller increase in blood sugar than refined carbohydrates which are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream.

Read more: 5 ways to lose weight when you have no time to cook or exercise

Dr John Sievenpiper, lead author and clinician scientist concluded that “the study found that pasta didn’t contribute to weight gain or increase in body fat”.

Amazing, right? It gets better. “In fact, analysis actually showed a small weight loss. So contrary to concerns, perhaps pasta can be part of a healthy diet such as a low GI diet.” The participants in the study lost about 500g on average, after a follow up of 12 weeks.

But before you start guzzling down a ready-made mac and cheese for a family of four all by yourself, the authors of the study say that these results only occur if pasta is eaten with other low-glycemic index foods as part of a low-glycemic index diet.

Simply put? You shouldn’t gain weight if you eat pasta as part of a healthy diet, says Dr Sievenpiper.

Read more: Make protein-packed pasta

If you’re looking to start adding pasta back into your diet or you’re tired of your plain pasta you’ve been making for years, we recommend you try this Ostrich Neapolitan Pasta that packs in great nutrients, protein and, most importantly, pasta.

^{This article was originally published on www.menshealth.com}

^{Image credit: iStock}