Several days ago, many newspapers reported the results of a two-year weight-loss study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, which took place in Tel Aviv, followed males and a handful of women for 24 months to see which of three kinds of diet program would produce the most effective weight loss. The three diets were low fat (similar to the American Heart Association diet), a somewhat healthier version of the Atkins (the participants were kosher and did not eat bacon, ham or pork or add cheese or butter to their meat products), and the Mediterranean diet (this used much more olive oil and fiber than either of the other two diets). The participants had similar and comprehensive support from dieticians and even their spouses were educated on how to help the dieters follow the program at home.

The participants were all obese; they had a body-mass index (BMI) around 31. To give you some idea of what these means in pounds, a woman who is 5’5” would have to weigh 185 pounds and a man of 5’11” would have to weight 225 pounds to have a BMI of 31. None were morbidly obese but they had to lose at least 50 pounds or more to get back in the normal weight category.

The study has generated an enormous amount of discussion on various blogs. One that I checked posted almost 200 messages from people proclaiming support or criticism for either the low-fat, low-carb or Mediterranean diet based on the success or failures of the subjects. Indeed, some of the exchanges were quite heated as the writers shared their own experiences.

So what is all the fuss about? Was one of the diets so effective that the participants attained their goal weight? Did another diet leave the participants heavier than before? Should we throw away every diet plan that exists and go with the winner of this study?

The results might surprise you.

The biggest weight loss was seen on the modified Atkins diet—but this was true only of the men. The few women (about 10% of the sample) did best on the Mediterranean diet.  And the results were as follows (drum roll, please):

In two years the group as a whole lost about 6.6 pounds on the low-fat diet, 8.8 pounds on the Mediterranean diet and 9.4 pounds on the modified Atkins diet (or low carb).

Most of the weight was lost in the first 6 months. During the remaining 18 months, participants either gained back some weight, leveled out, or both.

Any weight loss is good and what this study shows is that with a really good monitoring and support system, it is possible to lose weight and keep it off. There was a significant difference in the effectiveness of the different diet plans although the differences are tiny when you consider how much weight the participants really had to lose.

Did the study answer the question what is the best type of diet? Yes and No.

For men, the low-carb, modified Atkins diet did work best. Many men have been able to lose considerable amounts of weight following a relatively high-fat, high-protein diet.

But the study did not answer these questions: What is the best kind of diet for emotional overeaters who do so because they need to use food to feel better? And what about people whose brains force them to overeat because they are taking medications that affect their food control system?

None of the diets were designed to use carbohydrates to improve mood, curtail appetite or halt the effect of medications that cause overeating. Exercise was not a major component of the weight-loss program, nor was counseling to identify triggers that caused weight to be gained initially.

The best kind of diet is one that allows you to lose weight steadily, makes you feel comfortable while doing so, motivates you to become more fit and gives you the chance to figure out how to prevent yourself from gaining back the weight when the diet is over.

And that diet is really a way of life.

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