Study
contradicts another study reported here only yesterday: http://healthnewsreport.blogspot.com/2014/09/low-carb-trumps-low-fat-for-weight-loss.html
In
an analysis of data from nearly 50 trials including about 7,300 individuals,
significant weight loss was observed with any low-carbohydrate or low-fat diet,
with weight loss differences between diet programs small, findings that support
the practice of recommending any diet that a patient will adhere to in order to
lose weight, according to a study in the September 3, 2014 issue of JAMA.
Named
or branded (trade-marked) weight loss programs provide structured dietary and
lifestyle recommendations via popular books and in-person or online behavioral
support and represent a multibillion dollar industry. Debate regarding the
relative merit of the diets is accompanied by advertising claiming which
macronutrient composition is superior, such as a low-carbohydrate or low-fat
diet. Establishing which of the major named diets is most effective is
important because overweight patients often want to know which diet results in
the most effective weight loss, according to background information in the
article.
Bradley
C. Johnston, Ph.D., of the Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute,
Toronto, and McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, and colleagues conducted a
meta-analysis to assess the relative effectiveness of different popular diets
in improving weight loss. The researchers conducted a search of the medical
literature to identify studies in which overweight or obese adults (body mass
index 25 or greater) were randomized to a popular self-administered named diet
and reported weight or body mass index data at 3-month follow-up or longer.
The
meta-analysis included 59 articles that reported 48 randomized clinical trials
(7,286 individuals; median age, 46 years; median weight, 207.5 lbs.). In the
diet-class analysis adjusted for exercise and behavioral support, all
treatments were superior to no diet at 6-month follow-up. Compared with no
diet, low-carbohydrate diets had a median difference in weight loss of 19.2
lbs. and low-fat diets had similar estimated effects (17.6 lbs.).
At
12-month follow-up, the estimated average weight losses of all diet classes
compared with no diet were approximately 2.2 to 4.4 lbs. less than after
6-month follow-up. The diet classes of low fat (16 lbs.) and low carbohydrate
(16 lbs.) continued to have the largest estimated treatment effects.
Weight
loss differences between individual diets were minimal. For example, the Atkins
diet resulted in a 3.8 lbs. greater weight loss than the Zone diet at 6-month
follow-up. "Although statistical differences existed among several of the
diets, the differences were small and unlikely to be important to those seeking
weight loss," the authors write.
"Our
findings should be reassuring to clinicians and the public that there is no
need for a one-size-fitsall approach to dieting because many different diets
appear to offer considerable weight loss benefits. This is important because
many patients have difficulties adhering to strict diets that may be
particularly associated with cravings or be culturally challenging (such as
low-carbohydrate diets). Our findings suggest that patients may choose, among
those associated with the largest weight loss, the diet that gives them the
least challenges with adherence. Although our study did not examine switching
between diets, such a strategy may offer patients greater choices as they
attempt to adhere to diet and lifestyle changes."
Editorial:
A Diet by Any Other Name Is Still About Energy
Linda
Van Horn, Ph.D., R.D., of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of
Medicine, Chicago, comments on the findings of this study in an accompanying
editorial.
"Overall,
the findings from the study by Johnston et al, along with other recent data,
underscore the importance of effective diet and lifestyle interventions that
promote behavioral changes to support adherence to a calorie-restricted,
nutrient-dense diet that ultimately accomplishes weight loss. Choosing the best
diet suited to an individual's food preferences may help foster adherence, but
beyond weight loss, diet quality including micronutrient composition may
further benefit longevity."
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