Which Diet is Right for You? Results Show... - 02.25.2009

Results of a two year study called POUNDS LOST were recently published and featured in the New England Journal of Medicine today. Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, PBRC Scientist Dr. George Bray in collaboration with researchers at the Harvard University School of Public Health observed participant volunteers who engaged in dieting, physical activity and a counseling program.

POUNDS LOST, short for Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies, showed similar weight loss among participants assigned to one of four diets that varied in proportions sizes of fat, proteins and carbohydrates. These diets all used the same calorie reduction goals and were considered heart-healthy—low in saturated fat and cholesterol while high in dietary fiber.

Bray’s findings - the key to creating or choosing a successful diet is one that focuses on heart-healthy foods while reducing calorie intake. Whether high or low fat, protein or carbohydrate, all four diets studied by Bray and his colleagues led to long-term weight loss.

“The good news here,” said Bray, “is people who need to lose weight can be flexible to choose an approach that they’re most likely to sustain—one that is most suited to their personal preferences and health needs.”

On average, participants lost 13 pounds at 6 months and maintained a 9 pound loss at 2 years. Participants also reduced their waistlines by 1 to 3 inches by the end of the study. Craving, fullness, hunger, and diet satisfaction were all similar across the four diets.

“We were encouraged that, in addition to achieving and maintaining weight loss, study participants experienced other positive health changes as well,” said Catherine M. Loria, Ph.D., a nutritional epidemiologist at NHBLBI and co-author of the study. “The findings emphasize the importance of weight loss in reducing heart disease risk.”

In addition to the diet, participants received group diet counseling twice a month and individual sessions every eight weeks. Participants were given personalized calorie goals, ranging from 1,200 to 2,400 calories per day, which reduced their overall caloric intake as compared with their daily energy requirement. All participants also undertook moderate-intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking, for at least 90 minutes per week.

To read more about this research and its findings, click here.

For More Information Contact:
Glen Duncan
225-763-2599
glen.duncan@pbrc.edu
http://www/pbrc.edu