Vegan Diet Better For Weight, Cholesterol Than Mediterranean Diet | Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

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Feb. 5, 2021 (MedicalXpress) -- A vegan diet is more effective for weight loss than a Mediterranean diet, a groundbreaking new study shows.

The randomized crossover trial, which was published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, found that a low-fat vegan diet has better outcomes for weight, body composition, insulin sensitivity, and cholesterol levels, compared with a Mediterranean diet.

The study found that within 16 weeks on each diet:

• Participants lost an average of 6 kilograms (or about 13 pounds) on the vegan diet, compared with no mean change on the Mediterranean diet.
• Participants lost 3.4 kg (about 7.5 pounds) more fat mass on the vegan diet.
• Participants saw a greater reduction in visceral fat by 315 cm3 on the vegan diet.
• The vegan diet decreased total and LDL cholesterol levels by 18.7 mg/dL and 15.3 mg/dL, respectively, while there were no significant cholesterol changes on the Mediterranean diet.
• Blood pressure decreased on both diets, but more on the Mediterranean diet (6.0 mm Hg, compared to 3.2 mmHg on the vegan diet).

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