Evaluation of Different Dietary Strategies on Body Composition in Individuals with Obesity

Abstract

Obesity is a global health challenge. This study evaluated the effects of 4 dietary strategies on the body composition. Where 200 volunteers from southern Brazil were evaluated, 100 men and 100 women, between the ages of 20 and 50 and with a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 30 kg/m2. Divided into 4 groups of dietary interventions: G1 – control diet, G2 – low-carbohydrate high-fat (LCHF), G3 – control diet with intermittent fasting (IF), G4 – low-carbohydrate high-fat with intermittent fasting (LCHF + IF). For 6 months, patients were monitored according to their body weight (BW), BMI, waist circumference (WC), body fat percentage (%BF), lean body mass (LBM), systolic blood pressure (SBP), blood glucose, and answered an assessment of adherence and satisfaction. The data was submitted to mixed linear model and multivariate analysis. No significant reduction in BW was observed, but all groups showed a reduction in WC. The caloric restriction with carbohydrate reduction (LCHF) and the application of IF caused a reduction in WC and %BF and resulted in improvement in glucose and SBP. Diets that include the application of LCHF (G2) and the use of IF (G4) show faster results and can end up generating more motivation to continue the diet. The application of an LCHF diet with IF protocols (G4) shows that there is indeed a potentiation of the results through IF application. IF was associated with the patients’ reduction in appetite, improved mood and well-being, and intention to continue the diet.