Brief 5:2 diet advice is as effective as traditional GP advice, but
people like it better, according to new study

Date:
November 17, 2021
Source:
Queen Mary University of London
Summary:
A clinical trial has found people prefer receiving information on
the 5: 2 diet than standard GP weight management advice despite
both interventions achieving similar modest weight loss results.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A clinical trial has found people prefer receiving information on the 5:2
diet than standard GP weight management advice despite both interventions achieving similar modest weight loss results.


==========================================================================
The trial, funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and led by Queen
Mary University of London, is the first randomised evaluation of the 5:2
diet, a popular type of intermittent fasting regime. Researchers studied
the long-term effects of providing 5:2 diet instructions compared to traditional weight loss advice in 300 UK adults with obesity over a
one-year period.

The findings show that long-term weight loss was similar for those
who received 5:2 diet or standard weight management advice with 18 per
cent and 15 per cent of participants respectively losing at least five
per cent of their body weight at one year. However, when asked to rate
each intervention, participants in the 5:2 diet group were more likely
to recommend the intervention to others or be willing to continue with
their diet.

Previous evidence suggests that peer support could be important for
encouraging dieters to adhere to and realise the effects of the 5:2
diet. To test this, the researchers studied the impact of a weekly support group in addition to the simple 5:2 diet advice. They found that whilst initially face-to-face support generated better early effects and improved adherence to the 5:2 diet, these effects weakened over time.

Together, the findings suggest that providing brief advice on the 5:2
diet could extend the options clinicians can offer to patients.

Dr Katie Myers Smith, Chartered Health Psychologist and Senior
Research Fellow at Queen Mary, said:"Here we've been able to provide
the first results on the effectiveness of simple 5:2 diet advice in a
real-life setting. We found that although the 5:2 diet wasn't superior
to traditional approaches in terms of weight loss, users preferred this approach as it was simpler and more attractive. Based on these findings,
GPs may consider recommending the 5:2 diet as part of their standard
weight management advice." The 5:2 diet is popular intermittent fasting
weight loss intervention whereby dieters restrict their caloric intake
on two non-consecutive days a week and then apply sensible eating on the remaining days. It first became popular in the UK through a BBC Horizon documentary and follow-up bestselling book.

In the study, traditional weight management advice on diet and exercise consisted of a 20-minute session where patients where an advisor explained
the programme and went over key tips provided in supporting materials
including the British Heart Foundation guides 'Facts Not Fads' and 'Get
Active, Stay Active', the NHS 'Change 4 Life' series of booklets and a
leaflet listing local resources for exercise. Participants in the 5:2
group instead received a leaflet on restricting their caloric intake on
two non-consecutive days a week, with examples of meals containing the
required amount of calories, and pointers to additional online support
as part of an individual 20-minute session.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Queen_Mary_University_of_London. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Peter Hajek, Dunja Przulj, Francesca Pesola, Hayden McRobbie, Sarrah
Peerbux, Anna Phillips-Waller, Natalie Bisal, Katie Myers Smith. A
randomised controlled trial of the 5:2 diet. PLOS ONE, 2021; 16
(11): e0258853 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258853 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211117161441.htm

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