Posted on 02/08/2021
2 min read
The Mediterranean diet, which has conquered the world with its flavor as well as its health benefits, could be overtaken by the vegan diet. The latter would be more effective not only for losing weight, but also for controlling cholesterol, according to a new study.
Exit olive oil, aromatic herbs, and other stuffings … The Mediterranean diet is about to be stolen the spotlight by the vegan diet. If they are not so far apart, the latter would be much better in terms of weight loss, cholesterol control, and insulin sensitivity. That’s according to a new study by researchers at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
To reach these conclusions, the scientists selected overweight participants with no history of diabetes and randomly assigned them to a vegan or Mediterranean diet. Half of the volunteers began a low-fat vegan diet, obviously animal-free, with an emphasis on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. The second group was put on a Mediterranean diet based on fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, low-fat dairy products, and extra virgin olive oil – with little or no red meat and of saturated fat.
Participants were not restricted in calories, and did not change their behavior in terms of physical activity or medication, unless directed otherwise by their treating physician. They were on each of the diets for sixteen weeks, then returned to their usual diet for a four-week washout period, before switching to the opposite group to enjoy the other diet for an additional sixteen weeks.
The vegan diet, winner by knockout
Published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, the results seem clear and largely favorable to the vegan diet. The researchers first reveal that, within 16 weeks, participants lost an average of 6 kg with the vegan diet, while no significant changes were observed with the Mediterranean diet. They also lost an additional 3.4 kg of body fat on the vegan diet, and observed greater visceral fat loss.
The vegan diet also resulted in a reduction in cholesterol levels, while there was no significant change with the Mediterranean diet. On the other hand, if blood pressure decreased with the two diets, the drop was greater with the Mediterranean diet.
“Previous studies have suggested that Mediterranean and vegan diets improve body weight and cardiometabolic risk factors, but so far their relative effectiveness has not been compared in a randomized trial. We decided to test the diets face to face and found that a vegan diet is more effective in improving health markers and boosting weight loss.“, comments Hana Kahleova, lead author of the study.
The researchers argue the results by specifying that the vegan diet is a fortiori associated with a reduction in calorie intake, an increase in fiber intake, and a decrease in the consumption of fats and saturated fats; hence these conclusions.
“While many people think the Mediterranean diet is one of the best ways to lose weight, it fell apart when we put it to the test. In a randomized controlled trial, the Mediterranean diet resulted in no weight loss. The problem seems to be the inclusion of fatty fish, dairy products, and oils. In contrast, a low-fat vegan diet resulted in significant and consistent weight loss.“, say the authors.
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