WEIGHT LOSE

How was the study conducted?

Random participants who were overweight and had no history of diabetes were a part of an intervention or control group in a 1:1 ratio.

This control group followed a few rules.

For 16 weeks, all the participants followed a low-fat, plant-based diet based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes with no calorie limit and stayed to it without making changes.

Exercises and medication routines remained the same unless they were directed by their personal doctors.

Indirect calorimetry was used by researchers to measure the number of calories burnt by the participants after a standardized meal at both the beginning and end of the study.

The entire control group’s after-meal burn didn’t change. However, the after-meal calorie burn of a plant-based group increased by 18.7%, on average, after 16 weeks.

This is one of the most significant findings of160 million obese Americans.

Think of how motivating it is to burn calories right after having a plant-based diet. Over the years, this would significantly help with managing weight.

Interestingly, within 16 weeks, all the participants in the plant-based group lost 6.4 kg (about 14 pounds), on average, compared to no change in the control group.

Besides, there was a dip in the fat mass and visceral fat volume. The researchers didn’t stop at this, they collaborated with Yale University researchers Kitt Petersen, MD, and Gerald Shulman, MD, to track intramyocellular lipid and hepatocellular lipid.

Wondering what are these?

These are accumulated fats in muscles and liver cells. They conducted a similar experiment on other participants through magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

As a result, individuals in the plant-based group could lose out on fat inside the liver and muscle cells by 34% and 10%.

Even though the control group did not experience significant changes. The fats stored in these cells have been linked to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

As per the doctor’s analysis, the insulin’s ability to move glucose out of the bloodstream and into the cells is disturbed when fats get accumulated in the liver and muscle cells.

After 16 weeks of consuming a plant-based diet, all the participants could successfully reduce their chances of developing type 2 diabetes.

Besides a plant-based diet improving metabolism, this study even offered a better insight into the link between fat within the cells and insulin resistance.

What Does A Plant-Based Diet Include?

It focuses on less processed foods.

It doesn’t include animal products.

It is inclusive of all kinds of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts.

Doesn’t include refined foods or added sugar.