While the internet views keto, vegan, and intermittent fasting as the holy grail of weight loss, the real magic lies in finding what really works for you—and the answer isn’t as simple as Dr. Google wants you to believe.
On a relaxing evening with friends, one of them remarked that he wanted to lose weight. He had already cut out sugar and exercised regularly, but he wanted to know which diet was the most efficient to achieve his goal.
I could end the article here with the answer I gave:
“There is no diet that is superior to another; we have different nutritional approaches that can be tailored to your needs and lifestyle. The ideal would be an individualized plan from a qualified professional.”
While my answer is very close to common sense, the doubt that motivated the question is real. Who, after a few years of reckless eating, daily stress and a sedentary lifestyle, has never noticed an increase in fat and, instead of seeking advice from a nutritionist, decided to save money and turn to Dr. To turn to Google?
It is common for these searches to result in sensational articles discussing the latest diet and its benefits, or the method used by an actor to Lose 60 pounds in 6 months. Unfortunately, these articles are often enough to motivate someone to repeat it, and, as happens in most cases, they give up after a few months.
Diet trends according to Google
We delve into the subject, a 2020 study published in the magazine Power supply aimed at ranking the most popular diets among Google users globally and regionally, and analyzing secular and seasonal trends.
Researchers used Google Trends (GT), a tool that provides access to a virtually unfiltered sample of real Google searches, to identify and analyze the evolution over time and regional interest in 47 food-related topics. The topic ‘Mediterranean diet’ was used by the researchers as a ‘benchmark’ due to the evidence pointing to the beneficial effects of following this eating pattern, and served as a reference for calculating the interest in all topics in relation to the total relative search volume (RSV).
In terms of RSV, veganism showed 19.54 times more interest than the Mediterranean diet, followed by vegetarianism (15.09), gluten-free (11.11), low-carb (9.80) and ketogenic (6.27).
Of the 250 regions analyzed, veganism was the diet of greatest importance in 23 countries (including the United States, Mexico and Italy), followed by vegetarianism in 14 countries, and both the ketogenic and low-carb diets in 7 countries.
The popularity of diets waxed and waned. Diets like the 5:2, raw veganism, juice fasting and paleo followed fad patterns, rising and falling. Low-sodium, low-protein, and lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets continued to maintain steady interest. Notably, searches for 31 topics peaked in January, likely linked to New Year’s weight loss resolutions, and were at their lowest in December, which coincided with festive festivities.
The authors concluded that Google Trends was valuable for researching local and international nutritional interests.
However, as usual, there are some crucial limitations to take into account. Google Trends is mainly used by young people and women, making it less generalizable. Significant regional variations exist; 60-65% of US users search on Google, while in some European countries it is over 90%. And now all diets are popular, for example Weight Watchers or MIND.
Before you start searching for the “best diet,” perhaps we should look to a source other than Dr. Consider Google: doctors with training in nutrition, instead of looking for trends.
What is the most effective diet?
Although many studies and systematic reviews demonstrate the effectiveness of different diets for weight loss, few studies have compared which is most effective. To answer this question, a systematic review in the British medical journal sought to determine the relative effectiveness of macronutrient diets and popular diet programs for weight loss And improving cardiovascular risk factors in overweight or obese adults. I have written previously focused on the efficacy of diets on cardiovascular risk and will now focus exclusively on weight loss.
The authors searched databases for randomized trials of overweight or obese adults who followed a popular diet compared with an alternative or usual diet, focusing on weight loss and changes in lipid profiles and blood pressure for at least three months. Diets were categorized based on their nutritional composition (low carbohydrate, low fat, and moderate macronutrients), brand names, or funding sources. Eligible studies allowed for exercise, behavioral support (e.g., counseling or group support), and meal replacements, provided they contained primarily whole foods without medication. The usual diet served as a comparison.
The final analysis consisted of 137 articles, of which 121 were RCTs, with 21,942 participants, with an average age of 49 years, mainly women (69.0%), with an average BMI of 33.0 (indicative of mild obesity), with a average intervention duration of approximately 6.5 months. [1]
Overall comparisons between popular and habitual diets for weight and blood pressure results provided evidence of ‘moderate certainty’. However, when comparing popular diets with each other, the evidence was classified as ‘low certainty’.
After six months, low-carbohydrate diets led to an average weight loss of 4.63 kg compared to the usual diet, while low-fat diets resulted in a loss of 4.37 kg, and diets containing moderate macronutrients, i.e. Jenny Craig, Mediterranean, Weight Watchers or DASH, led to a loss of 3.06 kg. However, at the 12-month follow-up, the average weight loss for all food compositions decreased to 1 to 2 kg compared to the usual diet.
Focusing on popular nutrition programs, the six-month analysis found that:
- The Jenny Craig diet (which offers meal replacement options with low-calorie options and help from coaches) and the Atkins diet were the most effective, with average weight losses of 7.77kg and 5.46kg respectively.
- Other diets, such as Ornish (average weight loss of 3.64 kg), Weight Watchers (3.90 kg), low-fat diets (4.85 kg) and the Mediterranean diet (2.87 kg), were less effective, but still better than ‘diet diets’. guidance” (0.31 kg).
Nevertheless, these weight losses tend to disappear over time. After 12 months, all diets appear to provide some benefit, but the average weight loss is almost uniform, around 1kg. Ultimately, the choice between one and the other becomes largely irrelevant.
However, the assessment had two critical limitations. Many comparisons yielded low certainty, mainly due to inconsistency, imprecision and risk of bias. More importantly, little information was reported about adherence to the diets, and as many of us know from personal experience, adherence to the diets becomes more difficult over time.
Once again we are confronted with a question that has not yet been resolved. I would suggest the reason is simple; There is probably no one right answer.
According to all available research, weight loss will occur if you consume more calories than you expend, regardless of the nutritional strategy. However, achieving this on your own is more complicated than it seems. When it comes to calories, it’s easy to underestimate how much we consume and overestimate how much we expend.
In light of the above, the best explanation on this subject is given by Steven Novella.
“The short answer to every question about – does diet – will always be: yes and no. … Diets statistically work in the short term because if you pay attention to your calorie intake and the exercises you do, you are likely to consume fewer calories, which can result in weight loss.
… What the study [of intermittent fasting] we are told that regular sessions with a nutritionist, weighing yourself and paying attention to what you eat (the overall effects) are likely to help you lose weight. It also shows that the details of the nutritional strategy, such as the composition of the macronutrients or the timing of eating (the specific effects), do not matter much or have very small effects.”
[1] Among the popular diet programs analyzed are Atkins, Zone, DASH, Mediterranean, Paleolithic, Low Fat, Jenny Craig, Volumetrics, Weight Watchers, Rosemary Conley, Ornish, Portfolio, Biggest Loser, Slimming World, South Beach and Dietary Advice
Sources: Rankings of global and local popularity of diets, their secular trends and seasonal variations in Google Trends data. Power supply. DOI: 10.106/j.moer.2020.110759
Comparison of macronutrient dietary patterns of 14 popular dietary programs for weight and cardiovascular risk factor reduction in adults: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized trials BMJ. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.m696.