Plant-based diet defeats Mediterranean diet for weight loss, findings on study

A low-fat, plant-based diet is better than weight loss compared to a standard Mediterranean diet, according to a recent study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. The randomized crossover trial was conducted by researchers from the Doctors’ Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) – a group of 12,000 doctors. For the study, participants with obesity without diabetes’s history were divided into two groups: one who followed a high-fat vegetable diet, and one who followed the Mediterranean diet (structured around the PREDIMED protocol, which focuses on fruits, vegetables , legumes, fish, low-fat dairy products and extra virgin olive oil, while limiting or avoiding red meat and saturated fats). Participants in each group restricted their assigned diets for 16 weeks without calories, without changing the exercise routines or medications. As part of the crossover design, participants then returned to their basic diets for a “week-out” period of four weeks before switching to the opposite group for another 16 weeks.

“While many people consider the Mediterranean diet to be one of the best ways to lose weight, the diet actually crashed and burned when we put it to the test,” said author Neal Barnard, managing director and president of PCRM. . ‘In a randomized, controlled trial, the Mediterranean diet did not cause weight loss at all. The problem seems to be the inclusion of fatty fish, dairy products and oils. In contrast, a low-fat vegan diet caused a significant and steady weight loss. ‘

Weight loss by plants

The study found that participants lost an average of about 13 pounds on the vegan diet, compared to the average change in the Mediterranean diet. Participants lost an average of 7.5 pounds of fat mass and reduced their visceral fat by 315 cm3 on a plant-based diet. A plant-based diet also lowered total and LDL cholesterol levels by 18.7 mg / dL and 15.3 mg / dL, respectively. Participants lowered their blood pressure on both diets, while the Mediterranean diet (6.0 mm Hg compared to 3.2 mmHg on the vegan diet) was slightly higher in this measure.

“Previous studies have suggested that the Mediterranean and vegan diets improve body weight and cardiometabolic risk factors, but so far their relative efficacy has not been compared in a randomized study,” said study author Hana Kahleova, MD, Ph.D., director of clinical research for PCRM, said. “We decided to test the diets head on and found that a vegan diet is more effective for improving health markers and promoting weight loss.”

Researchers suggest that the plant-based diet has led to weight loss due to a decrease in calorie intake, increase in fiber intake, decrease in fat consumption and decrease in saturated fat consumption. “If your goal is to lose weight or get healthy by 2021, choosing a plant-based diet is a great way to reach your solution,” Kahleova said.