A new analysis from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, highlights a surprising trend in weight-loss research.
When participants followed a low-fat, entirely plant-based diet, they lost more weight than when they adhered to a Mediterranean diet.
This held true even though many in the plant-based group consumed foods typically viewed as less nutritious, such as refined grains or potatoes.
Researchers note that the consistent factor behind the weight loss was a shift away from animal products altogether.
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The analysis draws on data from a randomized crossover trial involving 62 adults with overweight.
Participants spent 16 weeks on one diet, returned to their usual eating patterns for four weeks, then switched to the other diet for another 16-week period.
With no calorie limits imposed, the study offered a clear look at how different categories of plant foods played into overall weight changes.
What the plant-based diet index reveals
To understand dietary shifts more precisely, the team used a plant-based diet index evaluating both overall plant intake and the balance between more and less health-promoting plant foods.
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The index rose substantially only during the plant-based phase of the trial, while it remained stable on the Mediterranean diet.
One of the more notable insights was that increased consumption of plant foods labeled “less healthful” did not block weight reduction.
Instead, overall movement toward higher plant intake, regardless of the subcategory, aligned most consistently with weight-loss outcomes.
Avoiding animal products drives the change
According to the researchers, the most influential factor was simply removing animal-derived foods, which significantly boosted participants’ index scores.
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A drop in oil and nut consumption among some individuals further contributed to the pattern observed.
Taken together, the data indicate that an oil-light, plant-exclusive diet had the strongest association with weight loss, overshadowing the importance of whether each plant-based choice was considered “healthy” or not.
Sources: News-Medical, and Frontiers in Nutrition.
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