New research shows that cutting back on processed animal foods can lead to more significant weight loss than just focusing on how processed your food is. A plant-based diet can be beneficial, but is high food processing really as crucial as we thought?
A recent study published in Nutrition and Metabolism examines how vegan processed foods might influence weight loss, particularly among overweight adults.
We know that a plant-based and low-fat diet comes with many health perks—like weight loss and a lower risk of heart disease. But some plant-based products are heavily processed, potentially diminishing those benefits.
Many studies connect consuming ultra-processed foods (UPFs) with weight gain, but there hasn’t been much research on whether this link depends on whether these foods are animal- or plant-based.
This latest study is a deeper look into previous work done from 2017 to 2019. It investigates if how much a food is processed affects how a plant-based diet impacts body weight. The researchers wanted to see if animal and plant foods, classified by the NOVA system, influence weight differently.
The study involved overweight adults aged 25 to 75 with a BMI from 28 to 40. Participants who smoked, had diabetes, or were pregnant were excluded to ensure clean results. They were then split into a vegan group, who avoided animal products and limited oils, and a control group, which maintained their regular diets.
The researchers measured body weights at the start and after 16 weeks. They categorized foods based on the NOVA system, which classifies them from unprocessed to ultra-processed.
Out of 3,115 people initially screened, only 244 qualified for the study. The vegan group significantly upped their intake of plant foods while decreasing their animal product consumption across all processed categories.
This change in diet led to notable outcomes. The vegan group lost weight compared to the control group, especially as their intake of processed animal products decreased. For every 50 g/day reduction in processed animal foods, participants lost about one kilogram without changing their total energy intake. Reducing unprocessed animal foods by 93 g/day also led to similar results. Even cutting back on ultra-processed animal foods by 120 g/day correlated with one kilogram of weight loss.
“Focusing on lowering animal food intake and swapping in low-fat plant foods led to meaningful weight loss,” study authors concluded.
While there are strengths to the study, such as having a control group that reflected seasonal eating patterns, some limitations exist. For instance, the reliance on participants’ self-reported food diaries could introduce bias. Furthermore, the specific cohort may not fully represent the broader population, potentially affecting how the findings apply to everyone.
This study adds to the growing body of research on nutrition and weight management. Various experts in dietetics stress the importance of understanding not just the type of foods we eat but also their processing levels. Many health professionals now encourage adopting plant-based diets that prioritize whole foods, as these often come with more nutrients and fewer additives.
With obesity rates still rising globally, research like this highlights the need for continued focus on dietary quality over merely counting calories. According to the World Health Organization, overweight and obesity rates have nearly tripled since 1975, emphasizing the urgency of the findings for public health initiatives.
For more insights into nutrition and diet management, you can check resources from the World Health Organization.
Check out this related article: Essential Food Safety Tips for Healthy Cooking and Meal Prep – Your Guide from WBBJ TV
Source linkVegan, Weight Loss, Anti-Inflammatory, Blood, Blood Sugar, Clinical Trial, Diet, Food, Heart, Heart Disease, Metabolism, Nutrition
