News And Updates: Best Diet Strategies: Assessing Low-Fat, Low-Carb, Weight Watchers, Atkins, Jenny Craig, and Much More

Tuesday 22 August 2017

Best Diet Strategies: Assessing Low-Fat, Low-Carb, Weight Watchers, Atkins, Jenny Craig, and Much More

At any given time, countless weight loss diets have been vying for eyeballs online or shelf space in bookstores–not counting the plethora of get-thin-quick approaches, from fat-melting creams and supplements to detox purging and fasting. Few diets have been analyzed in studies; many are rehashes of earlier diets with a couple of new twists or gimmicks. New diet “breakthroughs” get a lot of attention since most individuals fail with the present programs and so keep hunting for one that will finally work. Along with the publicity machines supporting the multi-billion-dollar industry encourage dieters in their wishful thinking.

During the last ten years, a few dozen great impartial clinical trials have compared leading diets or general kinds of diets (like low-carb or low-fat). Most have found quite modest differences in weight reduction after a few months into a year–without a consistent winner. Bear in mind, however, that nearly all diet studies report average effects, that disguise how a number of people lose a great deal of weight, some a small sum, and others stay the same or even gain weight. One consistent finding is that adherence to the regimens is a much more powerful predictor of fat loss than would be the specifics of these diets. Even when people do stay on diets, they often stray from the principles, and this worsens over time, even though professional support and guidance help.

Studies and reviews of popular diets

Low-carb vs. low-carb. The Most Current in a series of such head-to-head studies appeared in the analysis of Internal Medicine in September 2014. For annually middle-aged obese individuals followed either a moderately low-carb diet (similar to the care period of the Atkins diet) plus a modestly low-carb diet (similar to American Heart Association guidelines). Participants received intensive counselling, but no particular calorie goals; they didn’t change their workout habits. Following a year, the average weight loss was modest–about 12 pounds for the low carb group and 4 pounds for the low-fat group. This particular low-carb diet led to larger dietary alterations and increased calorie reduction, so it led to greater weight reduction. It is not known if participants would have done as well if they’d not been given quite intensive counselling.

The Larger picture. Additionally in September 2014, an analysis of 48 studies of popular diets (such as Atkins, Zone, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Ornish, and South Beach) was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It discovered that all diets–low fat, low-carb, or someplace in between–were more modestly successful after a year (9 to 16 pounds lost), with little difference in weight reduction from one plan to another. Behavioral support and workout improved weight reduction.

The Larger picture II. Similarly, a Canadian review in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Results in November 2014 looked at 12 clinical trials between Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers, and Zone. It discovered that all led to “modest and related weight reduction” (that range from 4 to 12 lb) following annually–but so did control bands who obtained “usual care” (like self explanatory materials or nutritional counselling). Weight reduction was front-loaded–that is, best during the initial six months–and following that, weight slowly drifted back. The number of studies lasting two years discovered increasing weight recover.

Structured programs may do best. In a evaluation in the analysis of Internal Medicine in April 2015, Johns Hopkins researchers looked at 39 clinical trials between 11 weight-loss apps. It reasoned that only Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers needed evidence to support claims that they promote long-term weight reduction (such as a minumum of one year). But even they resulted in only 3 to 5 percent greater weight loss than observed in control groups who depended on printed health information or other types of counselling. For the other applications analyzed, outcomes were even more modest or there were not any long-term info.