Effects of Popular Diets without Specific Calorie Targets on Weight Loss Outcomes: Systematic Review of Findings from Clinical Trials

Stephen D Anton, Azumi Hida, Kacey Heekin, Kristen Sowalsky, Christy Karabetian, Heather Mutchie, Christiaan Leeuwenburgh, Todd M Manini, Tracey E Barnett, Stephen D Anton, Azumi Hida, Kacey Heekin, Kristen Sowalsky, Christy Karabetian, Heather Mutchie, Christiaan Leeuwenburgh, Todd M Manini, Tracey E Barnett

Abstract

The present review examined the evidence base for current popular diets, as listed in the 2016 U.S. News & World Report, on short-term (≤six months) and long-term (≥one year) weight loss outcomes in overweight and obese adults. For the present review, all diets in the 2016 U.S. News & World Report Rankings for "Best Weight-Loss Diets", which did not involve specific calorie targets, meal replacements, supplementation with commercial products, and/or were not categorized as "low-calorie" diets were examined. Of the 38 popular diets listed in the U.S. News & World Report, 20 met our pre-defined criteria. Literature searches were conducted through PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science using preset key terms to identify all relevant clinical trials for these 20 diets. A total of 16 articles were identified which reported findings of clinical trials for seven of these 20 diets: (1) Atkins; (2) Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH); (3) Glycemic-Index; (4) Mediterranean; (5) Ornish; (6) Paleolithic; and (7) Zone. Of the diets evaluated, the Atkins Diet showed the most evidence in producing clinically meaningful short-term (≤six months) and long-term (≥one-year) weight loss. Other popular diets may be equally or even more effective at producing weight loss, but this is unknown at the present time since there is a paucity of studies on these diets.

Keywords: body composition; carbohydrates; obesity; overweight; protein.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design or conduct of the study; analysis or interpretation of the data; or preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) flow diagram of the literature search results. DASH, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of short-term and long-term weight loss (absolute body mass change) among eligible diets. Forest plot depicting (a) short-term and (b) long-term weight loss outcomes in overweight and obese adults among eligible popular diets from the 2016 U.S. News & World Report. Values are shown as mean differences and 95% confidence interval. The eligible diets consisted of the following: Atkins, DASH, Glycemic-Index, Mediterranean, Ornish, Paleolithic and Zone diets. Note: Long-term results from Truby et al. are a follow-up of nine participants who voluntarily followed the Atkins diet after completing the initial six-month intervention [26].

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