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For people looking to lose weight, plant-based diets may be the best solution due to the way they affect metabolism.
This is what emerges from a recent study published in JAMA Network Open.
According to research findings, switching to a low-fat, plant-based diet could boost the body’s metabolism enough to burn excess weight and fat, even without strenuous exercise.
Researchers from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) collaborated with Dr. Kitt Petersen and Dr. Gerald Shulman of Yale University. Together, they conducted a 16-week trial in which participants in the intervention group adopted a low-fat vegan diet.
The study team hoped to find the full impact of a low-fat vegan diet. Could it improve metabolism, reduce visceral fat, and promote significant weight loss?
Initially, 3,115 people responded to leaflets distributed by the research team. Of these, 244 met the criteria for participation in the study.
Eligible study participants were overweight, with body mass indices ranging from 28 to 40, and aged between 25 and 75 years.
The researchers randomly divided the study participants into two groups. The first group followed a 4-month low-fat vegan diet, eating fruits, vegetables, legumes and cereals in portions comparable to those they normally consumed with meals. The second group, functioning as a control group, did not change their eating habits.
Members of both groups restrained their daily alcohol consumption for the duration of the study. Women could drink a single alcoholic beverage per day, while men could drink up to two drinks per day. Neither group began an exercise routine or deviated from existing physical habits during the 16-week trial.
The researchers took the measurements at the beginning and end of the trial. At the end of the study, the plant-based diet group recorded an average increase of 18.7% in calories burned after meals. They also saw an average weight loss of around 14 pounds (lb).
Additionally, the vegan diet group experienced a decrease in insulin resistance and a reduction in body fat. Basically, this group saw significant loss of visceral fat, the most harmful type of fat that is stored around internal organs.
In contrast, the control group did not experience any significant weight loss or body fat reduction. After comparing the two groups, it was clear to the researchers that the low-fat vegan diet had a measurable impact on the intervention group’s weight and health.
The study’s lead author, Dr Hana Kahleova, director of clinical research at PCRM, considers the results “revolutionary for the 160 million Americans struggling with overweight and obesity.”
He adds: “Over the course of years and decades, burning more calories after each meal can make a significant difference in weight management.”
These findings are consistent with a number of previous studies that have shown that plant-based diets are associated with a reduction in excess body fat. As recently reviewed by Rami S. Najjar and Rafaela G. Feresin in Nutritious:
“Plant-based diets can reduce body fat […] [and] cumulatively lead to reduced caloric intake and increased energy expenditure “.
It is worth noting that PCRM and Yale University researchers focused on people without a history of diabetes. The pool of participants was also strongly gender-oriented, with females making up 86% of all participants.
Additional research may be needed for those who already have related health problems or with a more balanced group of participants.
However, there is enough research in existence to suggest that regardless of a person’s current diabetes status, their health outcomes could improve by following a diet consisting mostly of fruits and vegetables.
At least one participant in the clinical study decided to make a permanent change in their lifestyle. Sam T., who lost 34 pounds during the 4-month study, continued on the plant-based diet. He reached his target weight and started participating in half marathons and marathons.
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