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Proponents of several diet plans such as the Atkins and Zone diets say low or moderate carbohydrate foods lead to less of an insulin spike in the blood after meals, which helps people burn off more unwanted fat. However, a new study has found that bars advertised as “low-carbohydrate” do not actually reduce insulin levels in the blood as much as expected.

In this study, the researchers asked 20-adults to eat one of five test meals on five separate days; a low-carbohydrate energy bar (Atkins Advantage Bar); a moderate-carbohydrate energy bar (Balance Bar - Zone diet), a high-carbohydrate energy bar (Power Bar); white bread (which is nearly all carbohydrate); and broiled chicken breast (contains no carbohydrate).

Blood samples before and after consuming these meals provided blood glucose and insulin level readings. The white bread and the chicken-only meals are foods at both ends of the blood sugar/insulin scale—they are used to measure and compare the insulin response caused by other meals.

Results showed that both the low-carb bar and the moderate-carb bar produced blood insulin levels similar to that seen with the bar containing a lot of sugar. The high insulin response caused by eating the reduced carbohydrate bars was most surprising. The researchers suggested that it might not be carbohydrates alone that raise insulin levels.

The truth is that makers of these “low-carbohydrate” bars simply replace the carbohydrate with fat (glycerol). The overall energy content of low-carb bars is similar to that of higher carbohydrate bars. None of the manufacturers of low-carbohydrate snack foods have the data to support the claim that their products keep after-meal insulin levels low. This study, (supported in part by Atkins Nutritionals) showed that low-carbohydrate food bars produce an insulin response that is no different to that seen with sugar-laden food bars.