Weight
loss and health improvements with Mediterranean, fasting & Paleo diets
University
of Otago
There
were some weight loss and health benefits for overweight adults who followed
the Mediterranean, Intermittent Fasting and Paleo diets, though adherence to
the diets dropped off considerably during the one-year study, new University of
Otago research shows.
Intermittent
fasting -- whereby participants limit their energy intake to about 25 per cent
of their usual diet (500kcal for women and 600kcal for men) on two
self-selected days per week, led to slightly more weight loss than the other
diets. The Mediterranean diet also improved blood sugar levels.
Co-lead author Dr Melyssa Roy, a Research Fellow in the Department of Medicine, says the amount of weight loss was modest -- on average two to four kilograms for the 250 participants, but for those choosing the fasting or Mediterranean diets, clinically significant improvements in blood pressure were also seen.
The
aim of the research was to examine how effective all three diets were in a
"real world" setting, where participants self-selected which diet
they wished to follow, without any ongoing support from a dietitian.
Dr
Roy says the evidence shows that for some people the Mediterranean, fasting or
paleo (Paleolithic) diets can be "healthful, beneficial ways to eat."
"This
work supports the idea that there isn't a single 'right' diet -- there are a
range of options that may suit different people and be effective. In this
study, people were given dietary guidelines at the start and then continued
with their diets in the real world while living normally. About half of the
participants were still following their diets after a year and had experienced
improvements in markers of health.
"Like
the Mediterranean diet, intermittent fasting and paleo diets can also be valid
healthy eating approaches -- the best diet is the one that includes healthy
foods and suits the individual."
The
Mediterranean diet encouraged consumption of fruit, vegetables, whole-grain
breads and cereals, legumes, nuts, seeds and olive oil with moderate amounts of
fish, chicken, eggs and diary and red meat once a week or less.
The
paleo diet consists of mostly less-processed foods with an emphasis on eating
fruit and vegetables, animal proteins, nuts, coconut products and extra-virgin
olive oil. While "original" Paleo diets strictly exclude all legumes,
dairy and grains, this study used a modified version including some dairy as
well as up to one serving daily of legumes and grain-based food.
Co-lead
author Dr Michelle Jospe, a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Medicine,
says the results showed people found the Mediterranean diet to be the easiest
to adhere to.
"Our
participants could follow the diet's guidelines more closely than the fasting
and paleo diets and were more likely to stay with it after the year, as our
retention rates showed."
Most
of the 250 participants (54 per cent) chose the fasting diet, while 27 per cent
chose the Mediterranean and 18 per cent the paleo. After 12 months, the
Mediterranean diet had the best retention rate with 57 per cent of participants
continuing, with 54 per cent still fasting and 35 per cent still on the paleo
diet.
After
12 months, the average weight loss was 4.0kg for those choosing the fasting
diet, 2.8kg on the Mediterranean diet and 1.8kg on the paleo diet.
Reduced
systolic blood pressure was observed among those participating in the fasting
and Mediterranean diets, together with reduced blood sugar levels in the
Mediterranean diet.
Dr
Jospe explains participants who said they were still following their diet at 12
months lost even more weight, showing the importance of choosing a diet that is
sustainable.
She
believes the results of this study are relevant to the thousands of people
following self-chosen diets with little supervision and indicates more
realistic outcomes.
