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As part of a healthy diet, pasta won't pack on the pounds, according to a new study.

In a systematic review and meta-analysis led by Laura Chiavaroli, PhD, of the University of Toronto in Canada, people who consumed a low-glycemic index diet did not have any significant increases in adiposity when eating pasta.

In fact, the analysis published in found that pasta along with a low-glycemic index diet actually helped people lose weight compared with a high-glycemic index diet without pasta:

• Body weight: -0.63 kg (-1.39 lb), 95% CI -0.84 to -0.42 kg (-1.85 to -0.93 lb), P<0.001
• BMI: -0.26, 95% CI -0.36 to -0.16, P<0.001

There was also a trend toward a smaller waist circumference with a low-glycemic diet comprised of pasta (-0.46 cm [-0.18 in], 95% CI -1.05 to 0.14 cm [-0.41 to 0.06 in]) compared with a high-glycemic index diet with no pasta.

However, pasta in the context of a low-glycemic diet had no significant effect on overall body fat (-0.01%, 95% CI -0.58% to 0.56%) or waist-to-hip ratio (-0.00, 95% CI -0.01 to 0.00).

"[T]raditional carbohydrate staples like pasta, rice, and breads are increasingly being implicated in the epidemics of overweight and obesity," the group wrote, adding how "pasta is an important example of a food that is considered a refined carbohydrate, but has a low GI, a property that has been exploited extensively in studies of low-GI dietary patterns."

Drawing upon their current findings and prior data on the topic, Chiavaroli's group highlighted that "[a]lthough the product form of pasta can vary widely, including in shape (e.g., macaroni, spaghetti, linguine), ingredients (e.g., type of wheat, egg content) and processing technique (e.g., drying temperature), studies have demonstrated that when comparing pastas varying in these parameters, despite slight variations in glycemic response among pastas, glycemic responses are still lower compared with a control, for example, white bread."

Although the specific mechanisms behind weight loss with a low-glycemic index diet plus pasta are unknown, the researchers highlighted the importance of consuming a diet high in fiber, particularly for improving satiety and curbing hunger.

This analysis compared 32 randomized controlled trials lasting 3 or more weeks, totaling 2,448 participants. All trials included measured the effect of pasta as part of a low-glycemic index diet in comparison with a high-glycemic index diet with no pasta.

The group also conducted a sensitivity analysis, which was restricted only to 11 trials that quantified pasta intake -- a median of 3.33 servings per week across the trials -- and this analysis reported similar findings in terms of weight loss (-0.7 kg [-1.54 lb], 95% CI -1.10 to -0.29 kg [-2.43 to -0.64 lb], P<0.001).

Limitations to the analysis include a lack of data on pasta's effect alone or in the context of other diet types other than a low-glycemic diet, such as a Mediterranean diet. However, the group noted they believe the current findings would still hold true if pasta was studied in the context of other diets.

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