EAT FOR HEALTH.ORG



THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET FOR WEIGHT CONTROL AND WEIGHT LOSS

  This topic is reviewed in the reference below.  The authors note that four out of 7 cross-sectional studies found that people on a Mediterranean diet were 12% to 51% less likely to be obese or overweight.  Four out of 8 intervention control trials also found that subjects on a Mediterranean diet lost more weight on a Mediterranean diet than on a control diet .

 One study, for example, compared weight loss using a moderate-fat Mediterranean diet or a low-fat diet in 101 obese or  overweight subjects.  After 18 months, subjects on the low-fat diet gained 2.9 Kg compared to baseline,  while subjects on the Mediterranean diet lost 4.1 Kg.  In addition, more subjects on the Mediterranean diet stuck with the diet than on the low-fat diet. 

 In sum, the evidence points to the Mediterranean diet as being an effective diet for preventing obesity, although not all studies support this.  The Mediterranean diet also seems to be a better diet for losing weight than a low-fat diet .

Reference: Buckland et al. Obesity and the Mediterranean diet: a systematic review of observational and intervention studies. Obesity Reviews 2008;9:582-593