While the internet screams that keto, vegan, and intermittent fasting are the holy grails of weight loss, the real magic lies in finding what really works for you, and the answer, says Dr. It’s not as simple as Google wants you to believe.
After spending a relaxed evening with friends, one of them said he wanted to lose weight. He had already cut out sugar and was exercising regularly, but he wanted to know the most effective diet to achieve his goal.
I can end the article here with the answer I gave:
“There is no one diet that is superior to the other; We have a variety of nutritional approaches that can adapt to your needs and lifestyle. Ideally, there would be a personalized plan from a qualified professional.”
While my answer is very close to common sense, the doubt that motivates the question is real. After several years of reckless eating, daily stress, and a sedentary lifestyle, she noticed an increase in fat and instead of seeking the guidance of a nutritionist, saved money and consulted Dr. Is there anyone who hasn’t decided to apply to Google?
It’s common for these searches to result in sensational articles discussing the latest fad diet and its benefits, or the method an actor uses to do it. Lose 60 kilos in 6 months. Unfortunately, these articles are often enough to motivate someone to copy it, and as in most cases, they give up after a few months.
Diet Trends According to Google
By examining the subject in more depth, 2020 to work published in the magazine Nutrition It aimed to classify the most popular diets among Google users globally and regionally and analyze secular and seasonal trends.
To identify and analyze the evolution over time and regional interest in 47 diet-related topics, researchers used Google Trends (GT), a tool that provides access to an essentially unfiltered sample of actual searches on Google. The topic “Mediterranean diet” has been used as a “benchmark” by researchers due to evidence pointing to the beneficial effects of adhering to this eating pattern, and has served as a reference for calculating interest in all topics in proportion to overall relative search volume. (RSV).
In terms of RSV, veganism showed 19.54 times more interest than the Mediterranean diet, followed by vegetarianism (15.09), gluten-free diet (11.11), low-carb diet (9.80) and ketogenic diet (6.27).
Of the 250 regions analyzed, the most popular diet in 23 countries (including the United States, Mexico, and Italy) was veganism; followed by vegetarianism in 14 countries and both ketogenic and low-carb diets in 7 countries.
Diets have waxed and waned in popularity. Diets like 5:2, raw veganism, juice fasting, and paleo have followed rising and falling fashion patterns. Low sodium, low protein and lacto-ovo vegetarian diets have maintained continued interest. Specifically, searches for 31 topics peaked in January, likely tied to New Year’s weight-loss resolutions, and were lowest in December, coinciding with holiday celebrations.
The authors concluded that Google Trends is valuable for researching local and international nutrition topics.
But as always there are some important limitations to consider. Google Trends is used primarily by young people and women, which may make it less generalizable. Significant regional differences exist; While 60-65% of users in the United States search on Google, this rate exceeds 90% in some European countries. And now all diets are trending; for example, Weight Watchers or MIND.
Before searching for the “best diet,” perhaps Dr. We should consider a source other than Google, that is, doctors trained in nutrition rather than search trends.
What is the most effective diet?
Although many studies and systematic reviews show the effectiveness of different diets for weight loss, few studies have compared which is most effective. To answer this question a systematic review inside British Medical Journal sought to determine the relative effectiveness of macronutrient dietary patterns and popular diet programs for weight loss And Improving cardiovascular risk factors in overweight or obese adults. Me too written previously it was on the impact of diets on cardiovascular risk, and now they will focus solely on weight loss.
The authors searched databases for randomized studies of overweight or obese adults who followed a popular diet compared to an alternative or usual diet, focusing on weight loss and changes in lipid profiles and blood pressure for at least three months. Diets were categorized by their nutritional composition (low carbohydrate, low fat, and moderate levels of macronutrients), brand name, or funding source. Eligible studies allowed physical exercise, behavioral support (e.g., counseling or group support), and meal replacement, provided they included essentially whole foods without medication. It served as the usual dietary comparison.
The final analysis consisted of 137 articles, 121 of which were RCTs, involving 21,942 participants with a mean age of 49 years, mostly women (69.0%), a mean BMI of 33.0 (indicative of mild obesity), and a mean intervention. It will take approximately 6.5 months. [1]
Overall comparisons between popular and conventional diets for weight and blood pressure outcomes provided evidence of “moderate certainty.” But when popular diets were compared to each other, the evidence was classified as “low certainty.”
At six months, low-carb diets led to an average weight loss of 4.63 kg compared to the regular diet, while low-fat diets led to a loss of 4.37 kg and moderate macronutrient diets such as Jenny Craig, Mediterranean, Weight Watchers or DASH led to a loss of 3.06 kg. . However, at 12-month follow-up, the average weight loss across all food combinations was reduced to 1 to 2 kg compared with the normal diet.
A six-month analysis focusing on popular diet programs found:
- The Jenny Craig diet (providing low-calorie options and meal replacement with coach support) and the Atkins diet were the most effective diets, with average weight loss of 7.77 kg and 5.46 kg, respectively.
- Other diets such as Ornish (average weight loss 3.64 kg), Weight Watchers (3.90 kg), low-fat diets (4.85 kg) and the Mediterranean diet (2.87 kg) were less effective but still considered “diet” It was better than. guidance” (0.31 kg).
However, these weight losses tend to disappear over time. After 12 months, all diets appear to provide some benefit, but the average weight loss is about the same, around 1kg. Eventually, the preference for one over the other becomes largely irrelevant.
However, the review had two critical limitations. Most comparisons provided low-certainty evidence, primarily due to inconsistency, imprecision, and risk of bias. More importantly, little information has been reported regarding adherence to diets, and as most of us know from personal experience, adherence becomes more difficult over time.
Again we are faced with a question that has not yet been resolved. I think the reason is simple; There is probably no single correct answer.
According to all available research, regardless of nutritional strategy, weight loss will occur if you consume more calories than you consume. But achieving this on your own is more complicated than it seems. When it comes to calories, it’s easy to underestimate how much we consume and overestimate how much we expend.
In light of the above, the best explanation for this issue is given as follows: Steven Novella.
“The short answer to any question about: Does diet X work? – it will always be so: yes and no. … Diets statistically work in the short term because when you watch your calorie intake and exercise, you’re likely to consume fewer calories, which can lead to weight loss.
…What kind of work? [of intermittent fasting] tells us that regular sessions with a nutritionist, weighing yourself, and paying attention to what you eat (general effects) will likely help you lose weight. “It also shows that details of the dietary strategy, such as macronutrient composition or eating timing (specific effects), are not that important or have very small effects.”
[1] Popular diet programs analyzed include Atkins, Zone, DASH, Mediterranean, Paleolithic, Low Fat, Jenny Craig, Volumetrics, Weight Watchers, Rosemary Conley, Ornish, Portfolio, Biggest Loser, Slimming World, South Beach, and Diet Advice.
Sources: Global and local diet popularity rankings, their secular trends, and seasonal changes in Google Trends data. Nutrition. DOI: 10.106/j.nut.2020.110759
Comparison of Dietary Macronutrient Patterns of 14 Popular Named Diet Programs for Reducing Weight and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Adults: Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials B.M.J. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.m696.