title: Dietary interventions and quality of life: a systematic review of the literature.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To systematically review the literature to examine whether there has been adequate assessment of the effects of dietary intervention on quality of life (QOL) independent of weight loss, assess which instruments are being used to measure nutrition-related QOL, identify gaps in the literature, and suggest future directions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Systematic review guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 24 studies were eligible for inclusion. The Short Form-36 Health Survey was the most widely used instrument to assess QOL. Other disease-specific instruments were used. Several different dietary approaches (eg, low carbohydrate, low calorie, low fat, combinations) were recommended. Across studies, QOL generally improved after participating in behavioral weight loss interventions, but findings revealed a lack of evidence to definitively determine whether reported changes in QOL were a result of weight loss or independent of it.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is important to consider how making broad dietary recommendations for all individuals might affect overall QOL in both positive and negative directions when considering factors other than weight loss and health improvement. If dietary interventions are adversely affecting QOL in other domains (eg, social, economic) and this relationship is not being detected or reported by current research practices, barriers for successful and sustainable dietary changes may not be fully understood.
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL; Nutrition Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL; Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL. Electronic address: slamona@uabmc.edu.
authors.forename: Tiffany L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Carson
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Section on Statistical Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL.
authors.forename: Bertha
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hidalgo
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston Salem, NC.
authors.forename: Jamy D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Ard
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health; University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Affuso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004032:Diet; D004035:Diet Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D015431:Weight Loss; D061217:Weight Reduction Programs / Q000379:methods*
keywords: diet; quality of life; review; weight loss