Monday May 26, 2016 (foodconsumer.org) — You have been told that control of calorie intake is essential when it comes to weight loss. But a new study suggests that obese men and women can easily lose weight or prevent weight gain and lower their blood pressure by using the New Nordic diet and they do not have to restrict their calorie intake.
The regional Mediterranean Diet has been found associated with lower risk of chronic disease. The current study shows that using the New Nordic Diet which is high in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and fish for a 26 weeks can result in significant weight loss and lower blood pressure in obese individuals, compared with the Average Danish diet.
The New Nordic Diet (NND) “is a gastronomically driven regional, organic, and environmentally friendly diet, in a carefully controlled but free-living setting,” according to the study report.
For the study, 181 centrally obese men and women at a mean age of 42 years with body mass index 30.2 kg/m2 and circumference 100 cm were assigned to use the New Nordic Diet or the Average Danish diet for 26 weeks. All participants received cookbooks and all foods ad libitum and free of charge.
At the end of the intervention, the mean weight loss was 4.7 kg in the obese men and women following New Nordic Diet, compared with 1.5 kg in those following Average Danish Diet.
Also, those obese subjects who ate the New Nordic Diet experienced a greater reduction in systolic blood pressure (5.1 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure, compared with those following the Average Danish Diet.
The study concluded “An ad libitum NND (New Nordic Diet) produces weight loss and blood pressure reduction in centrally obese individuals.”
The study was conducted by SK Poulsen at Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports in Denmark and colleagues.
This New Nordic Diet is similar to the plant-based diet except that the former uses fish and the latter does not. Dr. Colin T. Campbell, a Cornell University nutrition professor conducted many studies and found obesity can be avoided by following a plant-based diet. And when such a diet is use, no restricted calorie intake is needed. (David Liu, Ph.D.)
Reference:
Sanne K Poulsen, Anette Due, Andreas B Jordy, Bente Kiens, Ken D Stark, Steen Stender, Claus Holst, Arne Astrup, and Thomas M Larsen, Health effect of the New Nordic Diet in adults with increased waist circumference: a 6-mo randomized controlled trial, American Journal of Clininical Nutrition, January 2014 vol. 99 no. 1 35-45.