A new study has found that people who follow a low-fat vegan diet lose more weight than those who follow a Mediterranean diet. The research was published in Frontiers in Nutrition and focused on 62 overweight adults.
The study was done in two parts. First, the participants were divided into two groups. One group followed a low-fat vegan diet, which includes only plant-based foods and no animal products. The other group followed a Mediterranean diet, which includes fish, meat, cheese, and eggs. Each group followed their diet for 16 weeks. After a 4-week break, they switched diets for another 16 weeks.
Researchers tracked how much weight each person lost and also measured something called dietary acid load. This is a way to measure how much acid your food produces in your body. High acid levels from food have been linked to weight gain, inflammation, and problems with metabolism. Animal products, such as meat and cheese, are known to increase acid load.
The results were clear. People on the low-fat vegan diet lost an average of over 13 pounds. In contrast, those on the Mediterranean diet did not lose much weight at all. The acid levels in the body also dropped during the vegan diet but stayed the same during the Mediterranean diet.
Even when researchers adjusted for how many calories people were eating, the link between lower acid load and weight loss stayed strong. This means the weight loss wasn’t just from eating fewer calories—it had to do with the type of food being eaten.
The study authors explained that animal products increase acid levels in the body. This can lead to inflammation, which makes it harder to lose weight. Replacing meat and dairy with healthy plant foods like leafy greens and berries may help reduce inflammation and support weight loss.
In simple terms, eating a low-fat vegan diet not only helps you lose weight but also keeps your body healthier by lowering harmful acid levels.
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