According to Washington DC PCRM study group, 62 participants who were overweight but not diabetic were divided into 2 groups and of these 62 people, 31 were randomly divided into vegetarian recipes and 31 into Mediterranean recipes. Vegetarian recipes were recipes based on fruit, vegetables, soya and grains with no animal product, while Mediterranean recipes were recipes based on fruit, vegetables, soya, fish, low-fat dairy products and olive oil.
Neither of these recipes is calorie restricted and participants do not change their exercise habits or existing medications. Those participants who experienced the vegetarian and Mediterranean recipes returned to the diet they had been eating for four weeks at the end of the 16-week experiment. Afterwards, the participating vegetarians experienced the Mediterranean recipes for 16 weeks, while the Mediterranean people experienced the vegetarian recipes for 16 weeks.
According to the results of this 9-month study, participants lost an average of 6 kg while consuming the vegetarian recipes, while there was no significant change while consuming the Mediterranean recipes. In addition, there was a significant decrease in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol values in the participants who ate the vegetarian diet, but no change in the participants who ate the Mediterranean diet. There was also a reduction in insulin resistance and an increase in sensitivity in participants on vegetarian recipes, but no change in participants on Mediterranean recipes either.
The study leader said, “Previous studies have shown that both Mediterranean and vegetarian recipes improve weight and cardiovascular risk factors, but it was only after testing the recipes in person that vegetarian recipes were found to be more effective in improving health indicators and promoting weight loss.”
Vegetarian diet seems to be more effective in reducing weight because they increased fibre intake and reduced calorie, fat and saturated fat intake.
