There is some good news for the vegetarians. According to a new study by a team of researchers, eating vegetables, grains, legumes, fruits and nuts helps in reducing body weight as the conventional low-calorie diets including oats, salads, etc. According to the research, the vegetarian diet leads to the reduction in the muscle fats which helps in improving glucose and lipid metabolism as well as an average loss of 6.2 kilograms as compared to the 3.2 kilograms for the conventional diet.
The lead author Hana Kahleova from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington DC said, "The finding is important for people who are trying to lose weight, including those suffering from metabolic syndrome and/or Type 2 diabetes. It is also relevant to anyone who takes their weight management seriously and wants to stay lean and healthy."
The study that was published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, the team randomly assigned 74 people to follow either a vegetarian or conventional diet. Both the diets were restricted by 500 kilocalories per day compared to an isocaloric intake for each individual. Both the diets caused a similar reduction in subcutaneous fat- the fat which is under the skin, but the subfascial fat- the fat which remains on the surface of the muscles, was only reduced in response to the vegetarian diet. Intramuscular fat- the fat inside the muscle was the most responsive and was greatly reduced by the vegetarian diet.
"This is important as increased subfascial fat in patients with Type 2 diabetes has been associated with insulin resistance while reducing intramuscular fat could help improve muscular strength and mobility, particularly in older people with diabetes," the researchers noted.
