Four Low-Calorie Diets Yield the Same Mediocre Results

Dieters ate different amounts of protein, fat, and carbohydrate — but, after 2 years, most were still obese.

Most weight-loss diets claim unique nutrient compositions that guarantee unusually rapid and effortless success. Comparative studies — usually with small populations and short follow-ups — have yielded widely disparate results. Now, a large long-term multisite study suggests that all these diets result in similar outcomes.

Researchers randomized 811 overweight adults (81% white; 62% female; 69% college graduates; mean body-mass index, 33 kg/m²) to four restricted-calorie eating plans:

High fat, high protein
High fat, average protein
Low fat, high protein
Low fat, average protein

Carbohydrate intake ranged from 35% (in the first plan) to 65% (in the fourth) of total calories. All meals were prepared at home, and participants ate from a single menu…

Reviewing Author

Abigail Zuger, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Abigail Zuger, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Four Low-Calorie Diets Yield the Same Mediocre Results

Topics

Reviewing Author