Vegan Diet Outperforms Mediterranean Diet for Weight Loss, Even with Foods Often Seen as 'Unhealthy' - vegconomist

A recent study published in Frontiers in Nutrition reveals that a vegan diet, even when it includes foods considered “unhealthy” by some nutritional standards, results in more weight loss than the Mediterranean diet. The research, led by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), challenges conventional thinking about plant-based diets and their potential for weight management.

Vegan vs Mediterranean

In this study, 62 overweight adults were assigned to either a low-fat vegan diet or a Mediterranean diet for 16 weeks, with no caloric restrictions. The vegan group ate fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans, while the Mediterranean group consumed fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, low-fat dairy, and olive oil.

At the end of the trial period, the results showed that participants following the vegan diet experienced greater reductions in weight, improved body composition, and better insulin sensitivity and cholesterol levels compared to those on the Mediterranean diet.

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‘Unhealthy’ foods still lead to weight loss

To further analyze the results, researchers examined the relationship between different types of plant-based foods and weight loss. They used a plant-based diet index (PDI) to assess the quality of participants’ diets, categorizing foods into “healthful” and “unhealthful” groups.

Healthful foods included whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, while unhealthful foods consisted of refined grains, potatoes, and sweets. The study found that the vegan diet led to significant increases in the overall PDI and unhealthful PDI (uPDI) scores. This was largely due to the inclusion of refined grains and potatoes, which, while considered less nutritious, did not prevent weight loss on the vegan diet.

“The findings suggest that even when a vegan diet incorporates what we would define as ‘unhealthy’ plant-based foods, such as refined grains and potatoes, it still provides better weight loss results than the Mediterranean diet,” said Dr. Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, director of clinical research at PCRM and lead author of the study.

Interestingly, while both diets saw increases in the healthful PDI (hPDI) scores, these changes did not correlate with weight loss. This indicates that the weight loss benefits of the vegan diet may be more linked to the exclusion of animal products and the reduction in added oils, rather than solely focusing on the inclusion of healthful plant-based foods.

Animal products and oils play bigger role

The study also suggests that eliminating animal products and minimizing oil and nut consumption might be effective strategies for weight management, regardless of whether or not other foods commonly seen as less healthy are included in the diet.

These findings provide new insights into the role of plant-based diets in weight management, suggesting that the benefits of a vegan diet can extend beyond just consuming healthful plant-based foods, as long as animal products and added oils are avoided.