by While the internet may shout about keto, vegan, and intermittent fasting as the holy grail of weight loss, the magic is in finding what works for you—and the answer isn’t as simple as you’d think. the dr. Google.
A relaxing evening with friends, one of them said he wanted to lose weight. He had already cut sugar and was exercising regularly, but he wanted to know which diet would be most effective in achieving his goal.
I could end the article here with the answer I gave:
“No one diet is better than another; we have several dietary approaches that can be tailored to your needs and lifestyle. The ideal is an individual plan from a qualified professional.”
Although my answer is very close to common sense, the suspicion that prompted the question is true. Who has not, after a few years of reckless eating, daily stress, and a sedentary lifestyle, noticed an increase in fat and, instead of seeking guidance from a nutritionist, decided to save money and go to Dr. Google?
These searches usually lead to great articles discussing the latest fad diet and its benefits or the method an actor uses to lose 60 pounds in 6 months. Unfortunately, these articles are often enough to encourage someone to replicate it, and, as happens in most cases, they end up after a few months.
Diet Trends According to Google
Going deeper into the subject, 2020 study published in the journal Nutrition aimed at ranking the most popular diets among Google users globally and regionally and analyzing secular and seasonal trends.
Researchers used Google Trends (GT), a tool that provides access to a truly unfiltered sample of real searches made on Google, to identify and analyze evolution over time and regional interest in 47 diet-related topics. The researchers used the topic “Mediterranean diet” as a “benchmark” because of the evidence that showed the beneficial effects of following this eating pattern, serving as a reference to calculate interest in each subject in proportion with the total 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 (11.11), low-carbohydrate (9.80), and ketogenic (6.27).
Of the 250 regions analysed, veganism was the most popular diet in 23 countries (including the United States, Mexico and Italy), followed by vegetarianism in 14 countries, and the ketogenic diets and low-carbohydrate in 7 countries.
The popularity of diets increased. Diets like the 5:2, raw veganism, juice fasting, and paleo follow fad patterns, rising and falling. Low-sodium, low-protein and lacto-ova vegetarian diets maintained a steady sum. In particular, searches for 31 topics peaked in January, likely related to New Year’s weight loss resolutions, and were lowest in December, coinciding with Christmas celebrations.
The authors found Google Trends valuable for investigating local and international nutritional interests.
However, as usual, there are some critical limitations to consider. Google Trends is mainly used by young people and women, which makes it less generalizable. There are significant regional differences; 60-65% of US users search on Google, and this exceeds 90% in some European countries. And now there is a trend of all diets, eg, Weight Watchers or MIND.
Before you search for the “best diet,” perhaps we should consider a source other than Dr. Google – doctors with nutrition training, 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 address this issue, s a systematic review in the British Medical Journal attempt to determine the relative effectiveness of macronutrient dietary patterns and popular diet programs for weight loss and improve cardiovascular risk factors in overweight or obese adults. i have written previously regarding the effectiveness of diets on cardiovascular risk and will now focus solely on weight loss.
The authors searched databases for randomized studies of overweight or obese adults who followed a popular diet versus an alternative or normal diet, focusing on weight loss and changes in lipid profiles and blood pressure over at least three months. Diets were categorized according to their nutritional composition (low carbohydrate, low fat, and moderate macronutrients), brand names, or funding sources. Eligible studies allowed for physical exercise, behavioral support (eg, counseling or group support), and meal replacement, provided they included primarily whole foods without the use of medication. The comparison was the normal diet.
The final analysis included 137 articles, of which 121 were RCTs, involving 21,942 participants, with an average age of 49 years, mainly women (69.0%), with an average BMI of 33.0 (indicative of mild obesity), with an average intervention. duration about 6.5 months. [1]
Overall comparisons of common and normal diets for weight and blood pressure outcomes provided evidence of “moderate certainty”. However, when comparing common diets, the evidence was rated as “low certainty”.
At six months, low-carbohydrate diets resulted in an average weight loss of 4.63 kg compared to the normal diet, while low-fat diets resulted in a loss of 4.37 kg, and moderate macronutrient diets, ie, Jenny Craig, Mediterranean , Weight Watchers. or DASH, caused a loss of 3.06 kg. However, at the 12-month follow-up, the mean weight across all dietary compositions decreased by 1 to 2 kg compared to the standard diet.
Focusing on popular nutrition programs, the analysis found after six months:
- The Jenny Craig diet (which provides low-calorie options and assistance from coaches) and the Atkins were the most effective, with an average weight loss of 7.77 kg and 5.46 kg, respectively.
- Other diets, such as Ornish (average weight 3.64 kg), Weight Watchers (3.90 kg), low-fat diets (4.85 kg), and the Mediterranean diet (2.87 kg), were not as effective but still better than “diet. guide” (0.31 kg).
However, these weight losses usually disappear over time. After 12 months, each diet seems to offer a certain benefit, but the average weight loss is almost uniformly the same, around 1 kg. In the end, the choice of one over the other becomes more or less irrelevant.
However, the review had two critical limitations. Many comparisons provided low-certainty evidence, mainly due to inconsistency, imprecision, and risk of bias. More importantly, little information has been reported on adherence to the diets, and as many of us know from personal experience, adherence becomes more difficult over time.
Again, we are facing an issue that has not yet been resolved. I would say the reason is simple; probably no single answer is correct.
According to all available research, weight loss will occur if you use more calories than you consume, regardless of the nutritional strategy. However, achieving this on your own is more complicated than it seems. When it comes to calories, it’s easy to underestimate how much we eat and overestimate how much we expend.
In view of the above, the best explanation of this matter is provided Steven Novella.
“The short answer to any question is – does diet X work? – will always be: yes and no. … Diets statistically work in the short term because when you watch your calorie intake and exercise, you are more likely to eat fewer calories, which can lead to weight loss .
… What is the study [of intermittent fasting] tells us that regular sessions with a nutritionist, weighing yourself, and paying attention to what you eat (the general effects) are likely to help you lose weight. It also shows that the details of the dietary strategy, such as macronutrient composition or timing of eating (the specific effects), are of little importance, or have very small consequences.”
[1] Among the popular diet programs analyzed are Atkins, Zone, DASH, Mediterranean, Paleolithic, Low Fat, Jenny Craig, Volumetrics, Weight Watchers, Rosemary Conley, Ornish, Panann, Calleach is Mó, Slimming World, South Bee, and Diet Council
Sources: Global and local diet popularity ratings, their secular trends, and seasonal variation in Google Trends data. Nutrition. DOI: 10.106/j.nut.2020.110759
Comparison of Macronutrient Dietary Patterns of 14 Commonly Named Diet Programs for Weight Loss and Cardiovascular Risk Factor Reduction in Adults: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials BMJ. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.m696.
