After weighing a range of diet plans comprising different quantities of fat, protein and carbohydrates against one another, the researchers concluded that any eating plan that results in lower consumption of calories is helpful in losing weight.
Professor of cardiovascular disease prevention at the Harvard School of Public Health and study author Dr. Frank Sacks said, “This study has a very practical, useful message. It doesn’t really matter much the specific type of diet -- see what suits you best. The focus should be on reducing calories. That’s what really counts.”
To decide which diet plan was most effective, the researchers engaged 811 overweight people in the study. Around 40 percent of them were men from Boston and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The participants were asked to follow one of the following four diets on a random basis:
• Low-fat, average-protein diet comprising 20 percent fat, 15 percent protein and 65 percent carbohydrates.
• Low-fat, high-protein diet that included 20 percent fat, 25 percent protein and 55 percent carbohydrates.
• High-fat, average-protein diet made up of 40 percent fat, 15 percent protein and 45 percent carbohydrates.
• High-fat, high-protein plan containing 40 percent fat, 25 percent protein and 35 percent carbohydrates.
Saturated fat was restricted to fewer than 8 percent of the daily calorie intake for all groups. Besides, they were asked to make an effort to consume 20 grams or more of dietary fiber everyday.
As far as physical activity is concerned, 90 minutes a week was the minimum time that was decided.
All the participants were given both group and individual counseling for two years. Diet and exercise information was fed into a computer program, which gave feedback on how successfully they were meeting their dietary goals.
An estimated 80 percent participants completed the research.
After a period of 6 months, people from every group had lost an average 13 pounds. But this figure dropped down to 6 or 7 pounds two years later.
Health indications like blood pressure and cholesterol levels were pretty much the same for all the groups.
Sacks said, “On average, no one diet was better than another. The bottom line if you want to lose weight is to eat a heart-healthy diet and be very careful about how much you eat.”
The study findings have been published in the Febr. 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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