With lifestyle diseases on the rise and millions around the globe aspiring to lose weight and gain health, a variety of diet programs (low-fat, low-carb, high-protein etc.) have mushroomed, each one claiming to offer greater health benefits than the rest.

But how effective are these diets and how lasting are the benefits that they claim to offer?

A recent study of over 20,000 people on 14 different diet programs, set out to examine just that. Broadly, the programs were classified as:

1. Moderate macronutrient diets (such as DASH, Mediterranean)
2. Low carbohydrate diets (such as Atkins, Zone)
3. Low fat diets (such as Ornish)

Here’s What The Study Found

At 6 months:

• Among popular diets, Atkins, DASH and Zone diets offered the greatest reduction in weight (4.7 – 5.5 kg) and blood pressure.
• Low-carb and low-fat diets showed similar reduction in weight loss and blood pressure.
• Most moderate-macronutrient diets offered modest weight loss and substantial blood pressure reduction.
• Low-fat diets and moderate-macronutrient diets showed a reduction in LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol)
• No diets showed significant increases in HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) or C-reactive protein.

At 12 months:

• Weight loss was lower at 12 months, as compared to 6 months
• Except in case of the Mediterranean diet, the cardiovascular benefits from all popular diets disappeared.

The Mediterranean diet emerged a clear winner, when it came to cardiovascular health benefits that lasted beyond six months. For those who are wondering what the Mediterranean diet includes, here’s a peek.

 Mediterranean Diet In A Nutshell

Named after the traditional food of people in countries around the Mediterranean Sea, the meals in this rich, wholesome diet center around:

• Copious amounts of plant-based foods, seasoned generously with herbs, spices, and extra-virgin olive oil,
• Seafood, and a variety of nuts, beans, and whole grains,
• Dairy, poultry, and eggs in moderate amounts,
• Red meat very occasionally,
• No added sugars, processed foods, refined-oils or grains.

Plenty of research has shown that people on this diet traditionally, are exceptionally healthy, with a low risk of heart attacks, strokes and type 2 diabetes.

How About Other Traditional Diets?

Traditional diets with their local recipes are known to celebrate the earth’s offerings while respecting seasonal and regional availability of produce. While this ensures that local cuisines stay rich and flavorful, it also ensures that the foods involved aren’t highly processed or stripped in any way of their nutrients or flavor.

Traditional diets might also be healthier because they’re aligned with a person’s gut bacteria. Our ancestors weren’t so wrong then, after all!

 

References

Ge, Long, et al. “Comparison of dietary macronutrient patterns of 14 popular named dietary programmes for weight and cardiovascular risk factor reduction in adults: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised trials.” bmj 369 (2020).