A Review of Plant-Based Diets for Obesity Management

Obesity is the most prevalent chronic disease in the United States with over 70% of the American population suffering from overweight/obesity. Recently, the popularity of plant-based diets (PBDs) has grown, with individuals adopting these diets for ethical, health and environmental reasons. Our aim is to evaluate the effect of a PBD on weight loss among patients who are overweight or obese.

A literature review of PBDs for the treatment of obesity was conducted using PubMed and Scopus. Our search yielded 27 intervention trials (3361 participants) and 6 metanalyses (9168 participants, 61 trials).

Among the intervention trials evaluated, 75% showed a significant increase in weight loss or decrease in weight in the intervention group, on average -5.0 kg (range -1.8 to -12.1 kg). Other outcomes included energy intake (-420 Kcal/d), systolic blood pressure (-3.78 mmHg), fasting plasma glucose (-2.0 mmol/L), hemoglobin A1c (-0.5%, -3.4 mmol/L), total cholesterol (-0.40 mmol/L), low-density lipoprotein (-0.38 mmol/L), triglyceride levels (+0.13 mmol/L), and fiber intake (+10.8 g/d). The 6 meta-analyses showed weight loss (average -2.9 kg, range -2.02 kg to -4.1 kg), body mass index reduction, and improvements in hemoglobin A1c, low-density lipoprotein, and total cholesterol.

PBDs result in significant weight loss and improve metabolic outcomes. PBDs offer a sustainable approach to long-term weight loss maintenance. Health care providers should encourage open discussions with their patients regarding their dietary habits to assist them in setting feasible lifestyle goals and consider shared medical appointments to support patients in transitioning to PBDs.