Weight-loss secret is to “stick to one diet” as all can yield same results

All diets can have same results provided people stick to the one chosen and follow it religiously, according to a new study.

The analysis, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is based on data collected from 7,286 overweight dieters, who followed Atkins, South Beach, Zone, Biggest Loser, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Volumetrics, Weight Watchers, Ornish and Rosemary Conley diets.

After performing 48 different randomised clinical trials on adults weighing an average of 207 pounds the team found that after six months people on low-carb diet lost 19 pounds and those on low-fat diet lost 17 pounds more than those who were not dieting. However, figures showed by the end of a full year there was not much difference between the two diets and it was behavioural support and exercise that worked the best.

The research was conducted with collaborative efforts by the scientists at the Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute in Toronto and McMaster University in Ontario.

Lead author of the study Bradley Johnston said: “There is a small difference between the two. If there are minimal differences between the diets, both at the brand level and at the diet class level, individuals shouldn’t buy into the latest study that comes out that shows that maybe one diet is better than another.”

The study also talks about different diet plans available in the market and their ability to help lose weight, but it does not promote one over the other and rather stresses the point that sticking to one plan that you can adhere to can help reduce fat faster than trying different plans.

Commenting on the study obesity expert at the Bariatric Medical Institute of Ottawa Dr Yoni Freedhoff stated: “It has been clear for quite some time that there is no one single answer. The quest for the holy diet is one that society’s been on for quite a long time. And I don’t think there is such a thing, just like I don’t particularly believe in a Holy Grail. The key to picking the best diet for a person as an individual is the one they actually like enough to keep living with. Ultimately people need to live lives that they enjoy enough to sustain. And the same for sure goes for food and diet.”

The research is first of its kind which offers a comparative study on brand-name diets and the team believes their findings would help look into the long-term success of such programmes.

Aastha Gill