Overview
- In a randomized crossover trial, 62 adults followed a low-fat vegan diet and a Mediterranean diet for 16 weeks each with a four-week washout and no calorie limits.
- Secondary analysis of diet logs found that overall plant-based diet index (PDI) scores rose on the vegan diet but not on the Mediterranean diet.
- The healthful PDI increased on both diets, while the unhealthful PDI rose on the vegan diet and decreased on the Mediterranean diet.
- Only increases in overall PDI and unhealthful PDI—observed on the vegan plan—were associated with greater weight loss, whereas changes in the healthful PDI were not.
- Authors report that avoiding animal products, eating items classified as unhealthful by the index such as potatoes and refined grains, and limiting oils and nuts were linked to weight loss, in findings published in Frontiers in Nutrition.