The best diet according to this research is the one that works for you, but the food combination is what helps you stick to the diet.
Best Diet?
The One You'll Follow
Study Shows Weight Loss Is Similar in Four Types of Diets
If you are trying to lose weight, just pick a diet, any heart-healthy diet, and stick to it.
It doesn't matter much if it's high in protein or not, high in unsaturated fat or not. You can expect to lose about the same amount of weight on any weight loss plan, according to a new study which found that the best diet is the one you will follow.
"Find a diet type that is comfortable for you," says study researcher Frank M. Sacks, MD, a professor of cardiovascular disease prevention at the Harvard School of Public Health. As long as the diet is heart-healthy, and calorie-controlled for your needs, he says, you will lose weight if you stick to it. It also helps to get support in the form of loved ones or an organized group, he found.
In his study, he didn't find a significant difference in weight loss regardless of the diet type. In each of the four groups, participants averaged a 13-pound loss at the six-month mark.
The study is published this week in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Comparing Diets
For years, debate has raged about whether a diet that focuses on protein, carbs, or fat is best for weight loss. So Sacks and his colleagues randomly assigned 811 people to one of four diet plans commonly used to lose weight:
· A low-fat, average-protein diet
· A low-fat, high-protein diet
· A high-fat, average-protein diet
· A high-fat, high-protein diet
Protein in the diets ranged from 15% to 25% of calories, fat from 20% to 40% of calories, and carbs from 35% to 65% of calories. No specific popular diets were studied, Sacks tells WebMD, although the four resemble some popular weight loss strategies. Each of the four diets used in the new study had the same personalized calorie-reduction goals and all were low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in dietary fiber so as to be heart-healthy.
Participants in this clinical trial, funded by the National Institutes of Health, were 30 to 70 years of age, and were either overweight or obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 (the start of overweight) or higher. They recorded food intake in a diary or an online tool that kept them posted on how their intake compared with their goals. Group diet counseling sessions were scheduled at least twice a month for the study, which ran from late 2004 through the end of 2007, and one-on-one sessions were held every eight weeks.
Participants were each given a calorie goal ranging from 1,200 to 2,400 calories a day, and were asked to do moderate-intensity activity for 90 minutes a week, with brisk walking acceptable.
Participants lost similar amounts of weight -- 13 pounds on average at six months -- on each of the eating plans; they maintained a 9-pound loss, on average, at the two-year follow up mark, when 80% were still in the study.
All the diets also improved risk factors for cardiovascular disease, although there were some differences in specific results. For instance, the lowest-carb diet boosted HDL "good" cholesterol levels 9% while the higest-carb plan increased it by 6%.
Similar reports of hunger, fullness, and cravings were given by the dieters on all four eating plans.
While the 13-pound initial loss may not seem like much, Sacks says it represents 7% of the dieters' starting weight; previous studies have shown a loss of 5%-10% will help reduce heart disease risk factors and other problems.
By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Elizabeth Klodas, MD, FACC
Feb. 25, 2009 –