Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2015 Jun 16;162(12):805-14.
doi: 10.7326/M14-2358.

Effect of Allowing Choice of Diet on Weight Loss: A Randomized Trial

William S Yancy Jr, Stephanie B Mayer, Cynthia J Coffman, Valerie A Smith, Ronette L Kolotkin, Paula J Geiselman, Megan A McVay, Eugene Z Oddone, Corrine I Voils
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effect of Allowing Choice of Diet on Weight Loss: A Randomized Trial

William S Yancy Jr et al. Ann Intern Med. .

Abstract

Background: Choosing a diet rather than being prescribed one could improve weight loss.

Objective: To examine whether offering choice of diet improves weight loss.

Design: Double-randomized preference trial of choice between 2 diets (choice) versus random assignment to a diet (comparator) over 48 weeks. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01152359).

Setting: Outpatient clinic at a Veterans Affairs medical center.

Patients: Outpatients with a body mass index of at least 30 kg/m2.

Intervention: Choice participants received information about their food preferences and 2 diet options (low-carbohydrate diet [LCD] or low-fat diet [LFD]) before choosing and were allowed to switch diets at 12 weeks. Comparator participants were randomly assigned to 1 diet for 48 weeks. Both groups received group and telephone counseling for 48 weeks.

Measurements: The primary outcome was weight at 48 weeks.

Results: Of 105 choice participants, 61 (58%) chose the LCD and 44 (42%) chose the LFD; 5 (3 on the LCD and 2 on the LFD) switched diets at 12 weeks, and 87 (83%) completed measurements at 48 weeks. Of 102 comparator participants, 53 (52%) were randomly assigned to the LCD and 49 (48%) were assigned to the LFD; 88 (86%) completed measurements. At 48 weeks, estimated mean weight loss was 5.7 kg (95% CI, 4.3 to 7.0 kg) in the choice group and 6.7 kg (CI, 5.4 to 8.0 kg) in the comparator group (mean difference, -1.1 kg [CI, -2.9 to 0.8 kg]; P = 0.26). Secondary outcomes of dietary adherence, physical activity, and weight-related quality of life were similar between groups at 48 weeks.

Limitations: Only 2 diet options were provided. Results from this sample of older veterans might not be generalizable to other populations.

Conclusion: Contrary to expectations, the opportunity to choose a diet did not improve weight loss.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Appendix 3. Figure
Appendix 3. Figure
Smoothed spline trajectories of weight over 48 weeks by diet type and arm (blue and red solid and dashed lines) and observed mean trajectories of weight over 48 weeks by diet type and arm (light blue and pink solid and dashed lines).
Figure 1
Figure 1
Participant flow.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Estimated mean weight trajectories in kg over 48 weeks for the Choice and Comparator arms from linear mixed models.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

Summary for patients in

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Dansinger ML, Gleason JA, Griffith JL, Selker HP, Schaefer EJ. Comparison of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers, and Zone diets for weight loss and heart disease risk reduction: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2005;293(1):43–53. - PubMed
    1. Foster GD, Wyatt HR, Hill JO, McGuckin BG, Brill C, Mohammed BS, et al. A randomized trial of a low-carbohydrate diet for obesity. N Engl J Med. 2003;348(21):2082–90. - PubMed
    1. Gardner CD, Kiazand A, Alhassan S, Kim S, Stafford RS, Balise RR, et al. Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN diets for change in weight and risk factors among overweight premenopausal women: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2007;297(9):969–77. - PubMed
    1. Nordmann AJ, Nordmann A, Briel M, Keller U, Yancy WS, Jr., Brehm BJ, et al. Effects of low-carbohydrate vs low-fat diets on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factors: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166(3):285–93. - PubMed
    1. Shai I, Schwarzfuchs D, Henkin Y, Shahar DR, Witkow S, Greenberg I, et al. Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or low-fat diet. N Engl J Med. 2008;359(3):229–41. - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data