It is a known fact that excess body weight and insulin resistance lead to type 2 diabetes and other major health problems. Therefore, there exists an urgent need for dietary interventions to address these conditions. A randomized controlled study published in ‘JAMA Network’ reveals that a low-fat, high-carb vegan diet could speed weight loss by increasing the calories burn after eating, without exercise. Researchers from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and Yale School of Medicine studied 244 overweight adults during a 16-week diet (age 25 to 75 years; body mass index of 28 to 40) after having been screened by telephone. Participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio. The intervention group (n=122) was asked to follow a low-fat vegan diet and the control group (n=122) to make no diet changes for 16 weeks. Both groups kept their exercise habits the same. At weeks 0 and 16, body weight was assessed using a calibrated scale. Body composition and visceral fat were measured by dual x-ray absorptiometry. Insulin resistance was assessed with the homeostasis model assessment index and the predicted insulin sensitivity index (PREDIM). Thermic effect of food was measured by indirect calorimetry over 3 hours after a standard liquid breakfast (720 kcal). In a subset of participants (n=44), hepatocellular and intramyocellular lipids were quantified by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Repeated measure analysis of variance was used for statistical analysis.

    The outcomes from the study is such that a low-fat plant-based dietary intervention reduces body weight by reducing energy intake and increasing postprandial metabolism and are associated with reductions in hepatocellular and intramyocellular fat and increased insulin sensitivity.