This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Multiple weight loss approaches work despite different nutrition components
Diet content did not affect weight loss or waist circumference reduction; counseling sessions were key to promote weight loss.
Calorie-reduced diets resulted in weight loss and waist circumference reduction regardless of whether the diet consisted of higher percentages of fat, protein or carbohydrates.
“These results show that, as long as people follow a heart-healthy, reduced-calorie diet, there is more than one nutritional approach to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight,” Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD, director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, said in a press release.
The researchers assigned 811 overweight adults to one of four different diets, which consisted of similar foods and met guidelines for cardiovascular health. Each diet also had different percentages of energy from fat, protein and carbohydrates.
Participants were assigned to 90 minutes of moderate exercise per week. They recorded their food and drink intake each day and were offered individual and group counseling.
Diet results were similar
At two years, participants assigned to the 25% protein diets lost 3.6 kg, and participants assigned to the 15% protein diets lost 3 kg (P=.22). For participants who completed each diet, weight loss was 4.5 kg (25% protein) and 3.6 kg (15% protein; P=.11).
Weight loss was 3.3 kg (P=.94) for participants assigned to the 40% fat diets and the 20% fat diets. In participants completing each of the diets, weight loss was 3.9 kg (40% fat) and 4.1 kg (20%; P=.76).
Participants assigned to the 35% carbohydrates diet lost 3.4 kg, and those assigned to the 65% carbohydrates diet lost 2.9 kg (P>.20).
The average weight loss was 4 kg for participants who completed the study (80%), according to the researchers. Weight loss occurred mostly during the first six months and participants began regaining weight after 12 months.
After two years, 31% to 37% of participants had weight reduction of at least 5%; 14% to 15% of participants had weight reduction of at least 10%; and 2% to 4% had weight reduction of ≥20 kg (P>.20), according to the study.
“These findings suggest that continued contact with participants to help them achieve their goals may be more important than the macronutrient composition of their diets,” Frank M. Sacks, MD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said in a press release. – by Christen Haigh
Sacks FM. N Engl J Med. 2009;360:859-873.
Percentage of Energy from Fat, Protein and Carbohydrates for Each Diet |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||