Study shows men may benefit more than women from cutting calories

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - There is new research on how diets may work differently in men and women.

It turns out men and women get very different results when they cut calories, according to a new study on pre-diabetes. That's a condition where there are symptoms that start to show up before someone meets all the criteria for this disease. It also often can be turned around with proper changes to diet and exercise levels.

In this study in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, researchers compared the results of a low-calorie diet. Both men and women were on the diet for eight weeks, and results were good in both groups, but very different.

Men, it turned out, lost more weight. They also reduced body fat, heart rate and symptoms of metabolic syndrome, which is a collection of symptoms of diabetes.

Women had greater reductions in cholesterol, and they lost more weight around the hips, but they did not appear to benefit as much as men. Both genders did drop some weight; men just lost more. Both apparently lost enough to benefit the body to reduce the odds for diabetes.

Researchers say more research needs to be done to conclude whether or not there are true gender differences with dropping calories, but it does explain why often if you go on a diet with a spouse or friend of the opposite gender, you don't always see the same results.