(8/8) My key takeaway here is that ANY of the prescribed dietary changes had a modest effect on weight loss (though more loss would have been better!).

While these diets aren’t used as often now, the lesson for patients is that the best weight loss diet is the one they can STICK TO!

(7/8) Finally, a major point here is that weight loss directly correlates with compliance (more compliant = more weight loss). Perhaps a boring finding, but important to the big picture:

(6/8) Now for weight loss. In all groups, weight loss was present at 1 year (figure below). There was no difference between the groups (P=0.4). Weight loss ranged from 8.6 lbs to 14.6.

Not showing the data, but cardiovascular markers (e.g. LDL, insulin, CRP) had a moderate decrease.

(5/8) Starting with adherence, the below figure shows adherence by diet (Y axis) over time (x axis). 10 is perfect 1 is none.

This shows something that many of us know: adherence to a diet goes down over time!

(4/8) Primary outcomes were weight change and cardiac risk factors (labs). They also looked at adherence.

(3/8) In the study, 160 participants were randomized to 1 of 4 diets:
1. Atkins (low carb)
2. Zone (macro targets)
3. Weight watchers (calorie restrict)
4. Ornish (fat restrict)

Bit of a blast from the past, huh?

(2/8) Today we're taking a look at how diet can affect weight loss.

Here is a 2005 paper from Dansinger et al. in JAMA that examines the effect of 4 different diets on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factors at 1 year:

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...