Effects of Popular Diets without Specific Calorie Targets on Weight Loss Outcomes: Systematic Review of Findings from Clinical Trials
Received: 19 May 2017; Accepted: 14 July 2017; Published: 31 July 2017
Effects of Popular Diets without Specific Calorie Targets on Weight Loss Outcomes: Systematic Review of Findings from Clinical Trials
Stephen D. Anton 1,2,*, Azumi Hida 1,3,*, Kacey Heekin 1, Kristen Sowalsky 4, Christy Karabetian 1,2, Heather Mutchie 1,5, Christiaan Leeuwenburgh 1, Todd M. Manini 1 and Tracey E. Barnett 6
1 Department of Aging and Geriatric Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; [email protected] (K.H.); [email protected] (C.K.); [email protected] (H.M.); [email protected] (C.L.); [email protected] (T.M.M.)
2 Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
3 Department of Nutritional Science, Faculty of Applied Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo 1568502, Japan
4 Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; [email protected]
5 Department of Gerontology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
6 Department of Health Behavior and Health Systems, School of Public Health, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Dr., Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA; [email protected]
* Correspondence: [email protected] (S.D.A.); [email protected] (A.H.);Tel.: +1-352-273-7514 (S.D.A.); +81-3-5477-2378 (A.H.)
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: carbohydrates; protein; body composition; obesity; overweight
