Latest news with #FrontiersInNutrition
Times
04-07-2025
- Health
- Times
Is this new diet the secret to weight loss?
T his might be very good news for those who want to lose weight, but don't want to be told to eat less. A new study has found that avoiding foods that raise levels of acidity in the body could be the latest way to drop excess pounds. Research published in the science journal Frontiers in Nutrition, suggests that a high intake of foods that cause acid to accumulate in the body is associated with chronic inflammation — which upsets metabolism and might contribute to weight gain. Participants in the study lost almost a stone in weight over 16 weeks, while the Mediterranean diet left weight unchanged. A build-up of acid in the body increases what is termed your dietary acid load (DAL). It's not the acidity of a food itself that determines whether it is acid-forming, but the by-products created when the body digests it. At the top of the scale of acid-forming foods are refined and processed foods, but also those containing animal protein such as meat and cheese. At the bottom are the relatively alkaline-forming fruit and vegetables.
Medical News Today
03-07-2025
- Health
- Medical News Today
Low-fat vegan diet may be better for weight loss than a Mediterranean diet
Dietary acid load has to do with how a person's food patterns contribute to the acid-base balance in the body. Research is ongoing about dietary acid load and how it impacts health outcomes. A recent analysis found that following a low-fat vegan diet may lower dietary acid load and that this effect may help with weight loss. Dietary acid load has become a focus of recent research. It has to do with how diet contributes to the body's acid-base balance.A high dietary acid load is potentially dangerous and may affect components like kidney function and weight. A recent secondary analysis published in Frontiers in Nutrition explored how following a low-fat vegan diet affected dietary acid load and how this related to weight found that compared to the Mediterranean diet, following a low-fat vegan diet led to a lower dietary acid results suggest that decreasing the dietary acid load via this diet may help with weight loss. How a low-fat vegan diet leads to weight lossSome foods contribute to a higher dietary acid load while others decrease it. Study author Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD explained the following to Medical News Today: 'Animal products including meat, fish, eggs, and cheese cause the body to produce more acid, increasing dietary acid load, which is linked to chronic inflammation that disrupts metabolism and can lead to increased body weight. Plant-based diets, on the other hand, which are more alkaline, are associated with weight loss, improved insulin sensitivity, and lower blood pressure.' This research was a secondary analysis of a previous study involving overweight adult participants who followed the Mediterranean diet and a low-fat vegan diet. In the current analysis, researchers sought to look at dietary acid load in these diets and how it related to weight. The original study was of a group of 62 overweight adults. The participants were divided into two groups. One group was on a Mediterranean diet, and the other was on a low-fat vegan diet for 16 weeks. After a 4-week break, the groups switched to the other diet. Participants kept track of what they ate via food diaries at certain weeks, and researchers also had data on physical activity and body composition. Researchers used two scoring systems to calculate participant dietary acid load. The authors explain that one estimation looks at five nutrients, and the other does as well but also takes into account weight and height. Overall, both dietary acid load scores decreased on the low-fat vegan diet but stayed the same on the Mediterranean also found that participants lost weight, likely primarily from decreased body fat, while on the low-fat vegan diet but did not lose weight while on the Mediterranean diet. Researchers also found that changes in dietary acid load were positively associated with weight changes. So, a decrease in dietary acid load was associated with a decrease in body associations did decrease when researchers adjusted 'for changes in energy intake' in the first 16 weeks of the study. However, in the second 16 weeks of the study, the associations were still significant after the adjustment. Thus, researchers conclude that 'compared with the Mediterranean diet, dietary acid load significantly decreased on a vegan diet and was associated with weight loss, independent of energy intake.'Further research required to confirm findingsThis research does have certain limitations. Firstly, the original study had limitations such as a small number of participants, a short intervention time, and data from only one center. However, researchers note that the time on each diet was long enough for adaptation to occur. Since the participants were volunteers, the authors acknowledge that the study sample 'may not represent the general population.' The other major limitation was that the analysis relied on dietary reports from participants. Data on physical activity was also participant-reported. Researchers also acknowledge the risk of attrition in studies about diet and that 16% of participants did not finish the they also note that there was high dietary adherence throughout the study. Kahleova explained that 'future studies can focus on the most effective strategies to alkalize the diet and look at possible links with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic diseases.'The authors of the study also note that there is a need for randomized trials that examine how the Mediterranean diet impacts dietary acid load. Mir Ali, MD, a board-certified general surgeon, bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, who was not involved in the study, also noted that it 'shows that a low-fat vegan diet may be superior to a diet containing animal products; again, further research is required to further elucidate the benefits and mechanism.' Who most benefits from a low-fat vegan diet?This research suggests that diets that contribute to a lower dietary acid load offer certain benefits and that the alkalizing effect of a low-fat vegan diet might help with weight loss. It highlights another potential benefit of following a low-fat vegan diet, which people can do with guidance from dietary experts. Alexander S. Ford, DO, a board-certified osteopathic family physician and registered dietitian, not involved in the current research, noted the following about the study to MNT: 'While a low-fat vegan diet may not be appropriate for every individual, the results of this study showed lower dietary acid loads in low-fat vegan diets versus the Mediterranean diet, a benefit linked to weight loss, independent of caloric intake, while promoting an alkalizing effect on the body that could benefit individuals with chronic diseases like morbid obesity and other conditions such as gout, arterial diseases, and rheumatoid arthritis, that have pro-inflammatory linkages.' Ford also noted that the study also supports the importance of following a well-balanced diet: 'This study also reemphasizes the importance of consuming a balanced diet, adequate in fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based foods. This emphasis should reassure you that regardless of your diet preference, a balanced diet is good for maintaining great health.'
The Independent
27-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Vegan diet beats Mediterranean diet when it comes to jump-starting weight loss, scientists find
Switching to a vegan diet can help promote weight loss by reducing inflammation, a new study suggests. Scientists compared a plant-based diet with a so-called 'Mediterranean diet' – one that includes moderate amounts of fish, poultry, dairy and eggs – and found that eliminating these altogether resulted in a net reduction in the body's production of acid. Researchers in the four-month study, which has been published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, found that switching to a low-fat vegan diet could slash the body's overall acidity, a change that was associated with weight loss. "Eating acid-producing foods like meat, eggs, and dairy can increase the dietary acid load, or the amount of acids consumed, causing inflammation linked to weight gain," said Hana Kahleova, a co-author of the study. "But replacing animal products with plant-based foods like leafy greens, berries, and legumes can help promote weight loss and create a healthy gut microbiome,' Dr Kahleova explained. In the study, 62 overweight adults were randomised to follow either a Mediterranean or a low-fat vegan diet for 16 weeks, separated by a four-week cleansing period, followed by an additional 16 weeks on the alternate diet. Researchers closely monitored participants' dietary records to calculate their acid load – a measure of the net acid production in the body from the foods we eat. For instance, scientists say food like meat, fish, eggs, and cheese causes the body to produce more acid, a change linked to chronic inflammation and that can lead to increased body weight. In comparison, they say plant-based diets are more alkaline and are associated with weight loss, improved insulin sensitivity, and lower blood pressure. Researchers found that the acid load significantly decreased under a vegan diet, with no significant change on the Mediterranean diet. This reduction, scientists say, is associated with significant weight loss, which remained even after adjusting for changes in calorie intake. Participants in the study experienced weight loss by up to 5 kg (13 lbs) on the vegan diet, compared with no change on the Mediterranean diet. Scientists recommend more consumption of alkalising food such as leafy greens, broccoli, beets, asparagus, garlic, carrots, and cabbage, as well as fruits like berries, apples, cherries, apricots, or cantaloupe. Legumes like lentils, chickpeas, peas, beans, or soy and grains like quinoa or millet can also have an alkalising effect, they say. 'The alkalising effect of a vegan diet may be an independent mechanism by which a vegan diet promotes weight loss,' researchers concluded.
