Dietary weight loss program is effective regardless of physical activity

A diet-based weight loss program was found effective for weight loss and other health improvements regardless of how much physical activity participants were asked to participate in, according to a new study published in the journal Obesity.

Research has shown that even moderate weight loss — up to about 10% of body weight — can have significant health benefits for people with type 2 diabetes, including diabetes remission (normal blood sugar levels without taking any medications to lower glucose). A number of nutritional interventions are widely accepted as effective for remission of type 2 diabetes – with studies showing that calorie-restricted intermittent fasting, reduced-calorie diets, meal replacements, and low-carbohydrate vegetarian diets may all be promising approaches. Even for people with type 2 diabetes who are not obese, modest weight loss may lead to remission of the diabetes. For people with obesity, bariatric surgery has been shown to be effective in treating type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, and type 2 remission is related to the amount of weight loss that occurs after the procedure.

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In the most recent study, 374 adults who were overweight or obese were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first group (124 people) participated in a diet-based weight loss program without being required to engage in more physical activity. The second group (127 people) implemented the diet-based program and were asked to participate in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week, and the third group (123 people) implemented the diet-based program and were asked to participate in 250 minutes. minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week. Weight loss and some blood test results were assessed after the participants completed 12 months of their prescribed program, as described in an article about the study in Healio.

Weight loss diet program linked to weight loss

At the end of the study period, all groups experienced similar levels of total weight loss. The average weight loss was 10.5 kg (23.1 lb) in the diet-only group, 10.6 kg (23.4 lb) in the group that got 150 minutes of activity, and 9.5 kg (20.9 lb) in the group that got 250 minutes of exercise. activity. The three groups also had similar measures of cardiovascular health and metabolic health as indicated by blood test results, in areas including insulin resistance, cholesterol levels, and systemic inflammation.

“These findings highlight that an average weight loss of about 10% profoundly affects biomarkers of insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease in adults who are overweight or obese,” the researchers wrote, noting that “the addition of moderate-intensity physical activity At least to the diet-only intervention provided no additional benefit.”

Want to learn more about weight management? Read “Tried and True Weight Loss Techniques,” “Lose Weight Without Feeling Hungry,” and “Seven Ways to Lose Weight.”