Science says, popular diets might help you lose weight, but only for a short while

Dieting is not an easy bet and when you will read this study you will be shocked to know the truth behind it.
diet
You’ll only lose weight till the time you are on a diet, says study. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
IANS Updated: 10 May 2021, 19:08 pm IST
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Eating bland food is just boring and if you are on a weight loss regimen then you have to follow your diet to the T. But we have a truth that might bring a shift in your diet beliefs. Yes, we aren’t joking because this new study is making a revelation in the weight loss industry.  

A study published in the journal The BMJ suggests that most diets lead to weight loss and improvements in cardiovascular risk factors but the results may disappear within a year, say researchers, suggesting that people should choose the diet they prefer without concern about the size of benefits.

The research found that in most diets, weight reduction at the 12-month follow-up diminished, and improvements in cardiovascular risk factors largely disappeared — except in association with the Mediterranean diet, which saw a small but important reduction in ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol.

weight loss fad diets
Not all weight-loss diets are going to be your saviour. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

To reach this conclusion, the International team of researchers set out to determine the relative effectiveness of dietary patterns and popular named diets among overweight or obese adults.

The findings are based on the results of 121 randomised trials with 21,942 patients (average age 49) who followed a popular named diet or an alternative control diet and reported weight loss, and changes in cardiovascular risk factors.

They grouped diets by macronutrient patterns (low carbohydrate, low fat, and moderate macronutrient – similar to low fat, but slightly more fat and slightly less carbohydrate) and according to 14 popular named dietary programmes (Atkins, DASH, Mediterranean, etc).

Only a slight reduction in weight has been witnessed with popular diets
Compared with a usual diet, low carbohydrate and low-fat diets resulted in a similar modest reduction in weight (between four and five kg) and reductions in blood pressure at six months.

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Among popular named diets, Atkins, DASH, and Zone had the largest effect on weight loss (between 3.5 and 5.5 kg) and blood pressure compared with a usual diet at six months. No diets significantly improved levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol or C reactive protein (a chemical associated with inflammation) at six months.

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Substantial improvement is seen in the blood pressure though
Overall, weight loss diminished at 12 months among all dietary patterns and popular named diets, while the benefits for cardiovascular risk factors of all diets, except the Mediterranean diet, essentially disappeared.

The researchers pointed to some study limitations that could have affected the accuracy of their estimates. But said their comprehensive search and thorough analyses supports the robustness of the results.

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Evidence shows that most macronutrient diets result in modest weight loss and substantial improvements in cardiovascular risk factors, particularly blood pressure, at six but not 12 months.

The extensive range of popular diets analysed “provides a plethora of choice but no clear winner,” the researchers concluded.

So, dieting is not weight loss’s superhit formula. Although, living on a balanced diet will keep you hale, hearty, and you won’t gain weight as well – so do try it. 

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