Diets that actually work

Thousands of studies on diets examined

A team of Johns Hopkins researchers reviewed 4 200 studies for solid evidence of weight loss programmes’ effectiveness but concluded that only a few dozen of the studies met the scientific gold standard of reliability.

Diets that work

Based on their analysis of the studies, the researchers found that Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers were backed by clinical trials that lasted 12 months or longer and showed that programme participants had a greater weight loss than nonparticipants.

NutriSystem also produced more weight loss at three months than counselling or education alone, but the authors were unable to find any long-term trials of that programme.

Programmes based on the Atkins diet - high in fat, low in carbohydrates - helped people lose more weight at six months and 12 months than counselling alone. The approach "appears promising", the authors write.

Diets that don’t work in the long-run

Participants in the very-low-calorie meal replacement programmes lost more weight than nonparticipants in trials lasting from four to six months. However, the authors found only one long-term study and it showed no benefit from such a programme at 12 months. The authors noted that very-low-calorie programmes also carry higher risks of complications, such as gallstones.

"We want people to experience the health benefits of weight loss - lower blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, and lower risk of developing diseases like diabetes," says Jeanne Clark, M.D., M.P.H., the Frederick Brancati, M.D., M.H.S., Endowed Professor of Medicine, director of the Division of Internal Medicine and a study co-author. "Those benefits are long-term goals; losing weight for three months, then regaining it, has limited health benefits. That's why it's important to have studies that look at weight loss at 12 months and beyond."

For more weight loss articles, click here

1. Prev:Apple and curried squash autumn soup
2. Next:Cutting the fat with bariatric surgeries