title: Comparison of weight loss among named diet programs in overweight and obese adults: a meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Many claims have been made regarding the superiority of one diet or another for inducing weight loss. Which diet is best remains unclear.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine weight loss outcomes for popular diets based on diet class (macronutrient composition) and named diet.
  
  
  METHODS
  Search of 6 electronic databases: AMED, CDSR, CENTRAL, CINAHL, EMBASE, and MEDLINE from inception of each database to April 2014.
  
  
  METHODS
  Overweight or obese adults (body mass index ≥25) randomized to a popular self-administered named diet and reporting weight or body mass index data at 3-month follow-up or longer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two reviewers independently extracted data on populations, interventions, outcomes, risk of bias, and quality of evidence. A Bayesian framework was used to perform a series of random-effects network meta-analyses with meta-regression to estimate the relative effectiveness of diet classes and programs for change in weight and body mass index from baseline. Our analyses adjusted for behavioral support and exercise.
  
  
  METHODS
  Weight loss and body mass index at 6- and 12-month follow-up (±3 months for both periods).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 59 eligible articles reporting 48 unique randomized trials (including 7286 individuals) and compared with no diet, the largest weight loss was associated with low-carbohydrate diets (8.73 kg [95% credible interval {CI}, 7.27 to 10.20 kg] at 6-month follow-up and 7.25 kg [95% CI, 5.33 to 9.25 kg] at 12-month follow-up) and low-fat diets (7.99 kg [95% CI, 6.01 to 9.92 kg] at 6-month follow-up and 7.27 kg [95% CI, 5.26 to 9.34 kg] at 12-month follow-up). Weight loss differences between individual diets were minimal. For example, the Atkins diet resulted in a 1.71 kg greater weight loss than the Zone diet at 6-month follow-up. Between 6- and 12-month follow-up, the influence of behavioral support (3.23 kg [95% CI, 2.23 to 4.23 kg] at 6-month follow-up vs 1.08 kg [95% CI, -1.82 to 3.96 kg] at 12-month follow-up) and exercise (0.64 kg [95% CI, -0.35 to 1.66 kg] vs 2.13 kg [95% CI, 0.43 to 3.85 kg], respectively) on weight loss differed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant weight loss was observed with any low-carbohydrate or low-fat diet. Weight loss differences between individual named diets were small. This supports the practice of recommending any diet that a patient will adhere to in order to lose weight.
authors.affiliation: Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada2Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada3Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hami.
authors.forename: Bradley C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.affiliation: School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada6Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada7Redwood Outcomes, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kanters
authors.affiliation: Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada4Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Kristofer
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bandayrel
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Faysal
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Naji
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Reed A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Siemieniuk
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada11Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
authors.forename: Geoff D C
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada12Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Pain Research and Care, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada13Department of Anesthesia, McMaster University.
authors.forename: Jason W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Busse
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada7Redwood Outcomes, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada14Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University.
authors.forename: Kristian
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thorlund
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Gordon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guyatt
authors.affiliation: Redwood Outcomes, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada15Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Jeroen P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.affiliation: Redwood Outcomes, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada14Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California.
authors.forename: Edward J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Mills
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D050528:Diet, Carbohydrate-Restricted; D018752:Diet, Fat-Restricted; D006801:Humans; D009275:Names; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D015431:Weight Loss