Vegan Diet - Better Choice for Weight Loss Than Mediterranean Diet

A vegan diet is more effective for weight loss than a Mediterranean diet. Vegan diet is associated with a reduction in calorie intake and increase in fiber intake.

Highlights :

A vegan diet is more effective for weight loss than a Mediterranean diet
Vegan diet is associated with a reduction in calorie intake, increase in fiber intake, decrease in fat consumption, and decrease in saturated fat consumption.
A vegan diet excludes all foods containing animal products

A randomized crossover trial, conducted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), found that a low-fat vegan diet leads to a better weight, body composition, insulin sensitivity, and cholesterol outcomes than a Mediterranean diet.

The study assigned participants who were overweight with no history of diabetes randomly to a vegan diet or a Mediterranean diet for 16 weeks.

Benefits of a Vegan Diet for Fighting Cancer
A vegan diet consisting of fruits, vegetables and other plant-based food sources has been shown to help prevent and fight many types of cancer.

‘Vegan diet led to an average weight loss of 6kg and decreased total and LDL cholesterol levels by 18.7 mg/dL anf 15.3 mg/dL respectively.’

The vegan diet was low-fat and eliminated animal products, focusing on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. The Mediterranean diet followed the PREDIMED protocol, focusing on fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, low-fat dairy, and extra virgin olive oil while limiting or avoiding red meat and saturated fats.

There was no calorie limit for either group, and participants did not change exercise or medication routines unless advised to do so by their doctors.

The participants then went back to their baseline diets for a four-week “washout” period before switching to the opposite diet for 16 more weeks.

Protein Power of Vegan Diet
A Vegan diet eaten over the course of a day can meet the human dietary protein requirements and provide all essential amino acids, ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults.

The key findings of the study are as follows -

Participants lost an average weight of 6 kgs on the vegan diet, compared to no mean change in weight from the Mediterranean diet.
Participants lost 3.4 kg more fat mass on the vegan diet.
The vegan diet led to a more significant reduction in visceral fat by 315 cm3.
The vegan diet decreased total cholesterol levels by 18.7 mg/dL and LDL cholesterol levels by 15.3 mg/dL, with no significant cholesterol changes from the Mediterranean diet.
Blood pressure decreased more on the Mediterranean diet (6.0 mm Hg) than the vegan diet (3.2 mmHg)

The Basics of Vegan Diet

Vegans avoid eating foods that come from animals, including dairy products and eggs. A vegan diet is rich in vitamins A, C, E, and K, fiber, antioxidants. People following a vegan diet could miss essential nutrients-calcium, iron, vitamin B12, and omega 3 fatty acids.

Study author Hana Kahleova says that while prior research has suggested that both vegan and Mediterranean diets improve cardiometabolic risk factors and body weight, their relative efficacy had not been compared in a randomized trial until now.