Gradual
weight loss no better than rapid weight loss for long-term weight control
Contrary to current dietary recommendations, slow and steady
weight loss does not reduce the amount or rate of weight regain compared with
losing weight quickly, new research published in The Lancet Diabetes &
Endocrinology has found.
The study, led by Joseph Proietto, Sir Edward Dunlop Professor
of Medicine at the University of Melbourne and Head of the Weight Control
Clinic at Austin Health in Australia, set out to examine whether losing weight
at a slow initial rate, as recommended by current guidelines worldwide, results
in larger long-term weight reduction and less weight regain than losing weight
at a faster initial rate in obese individuals.
The GWL programme reduced participants' energy
intake by approximately 500 kcal/day in line with current dietary weight loss
guidelines. Participants who lost more than 12.5% of their bodyweight were then
placed on a weight maintenance diet for 3 years.
Participants who lost weight faster were more likely to achieve
target weight loss: 81% of participants in the RWL group lost ≥12.5% of their
bodyweight versus just 50% in the GWL group.
The researchers found that the
initial rate of weight loss did not affect the amount or rate of weight regain
in these patients who entered the subsequent weight maintenance period, as
similar amounts of weight were regained after 3 years by participants who had
lost weight on either diet programme. Weight regain was around 71% in both
groups after 3 years.
According to Katrina Purcell, dietician and the first author on
the paper from the University of Melbourne, "Across the world, guidelines
recommend gradual weight loss for the treatment of obesity, reflecting the
widely held belief that fast weight loss is more quickly regained. However, our
results show that achieving a weight loss target of 12.5% is more likely, and
drop-out is lower, if losing weight is done quickly."
The authors suggest a number of possible explanations for their
findings. The limited carbohydrate intake of very-low-calorie diets might
promote greater satiety, and less food intake by inducing ketosis. Losing
weight quickly may also motivate participants to persist with their diet and
achieve better results.
Writing in a linked Comment, Dr Corby Martin and Professor
Kishore Gadde from Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, USA say,
"The study...indicates that for weight loss, a slow and steady approach
does not win the race, and the myth that rapid weight loss is associated with
rapid weight regain is no more true than Aesop's fable.
Clinicians should bear
in mind that different weight loss approaches might be suitable for different
patients in the management of clinical obesity, and that efforts to curb the
speed of initial weight loss might hinder their ultimate weight loss success.
Story
Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by The Lancet. Note: Materials may be edited for
content and length.
Journal
Reference:
Katrina Purcell, Priya Sumithran, Luke A Prendergast, Celestine
J Bouniu, Elizabeth Delbridge, Joseph Proietto. The effect of rate of weight
loss on long-term weight management: a randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Diabetes &
Endocrinology, 2014; DOI: 10.1016/S2213-8587(14)70200-1
Cite
This Page:
The Lancet. "Gradual weight loss no better than rapid
weight loss for long-term weight control." Science Daily,
15 October 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141015190832.htm>.
