Eating pasta can help you lose weight, new study says

Pass us the carbonara… and the spaghetti while you’re at it
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Pasta, like its cousins potatoes, rice and bread, are the carb-rich family we can’t seem to get enough of.

Even when we try ‘swearing off’ carbohydrates for a while to ‘get back on track’, inevitably we always come crawling back.

Luckily, a new study has found that pasta, as part of a healthy diet, can actually help you lose weight.

Research published in BMJ Open looked at the impact of pasta consumption on the body weight and BMI of 2,488 participants over the course of 30 trials.

The individuals maintained a low-GI (Glycaemic Index) diet while eating 3.3 servings of pasta per week, instead of other carbohydrates. Pasta is typically low-GI, meaning it increases your blood levels at a slower rate compared to refined carbohydrates.

The research found that those who ate pasta as part of their diet ended up losing weight.

Lead author of the study, Dr John Sievenpiper, said: “The study found that that pasta didn’t contribute to weight gain or increase in body fat.

“In fact, analysis actually showed a small weight loss. So contrary to concerns, perhaps pasta can be part of a healthy diet such as low-GI diet.

“In weighing the evidence, we can now say with some confidence that pasta does not have an adverse effect on body weight outcomes when it is consumed as part of a healthy dietary pattern.”

The best pasta makers- in pictures

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For weight loss and weight maintenance, portion control and healthy food choices are key – so it’s nice to know we can indulge in pasta from time to time without an ounce of guilt.

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