Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Comparative effectiveness of single foods and food groups on body weight: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of 152 randomized controlled trials

  • Original Contribution
  • Published:
European Journal of Nutrition Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed at quantifying and ranking the effects of different foods or food groups on weight loss.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Embase to April 2021. We included randomized trials evaluating the comparative effects of two or more food groups, or compared a food group against a control group (usual diet, no intervention) for weight loss in adults. We conducted random-effects network meta-analysis with Bayesian framework to estimate mean difference [MD] and 95% credible interval [CrI] of the effect of food groups on weight loss.

Results

152 RCTs with 9669 participants were eligible. Increased consumption of fish (MD − 0.85 kg, 95% CrI − 1.66, − 0.02; GRADE = low), whole grains (MD − 0.44 kg, 95% CrI − 0.88, 0.0; GRADE = very low), and nuts (MD − 0.37 kg, 95% CI − 0.72, − 0.01; GRADE = low) demonstrated trivial weight loss, well below minimal clinically important threshold (3.9 kg), when compared with the control group. Interventions with other food groups led to no weight loss when compared with either the control group or other food groups. The certainty of the evidence was rated low to very low with the point estimates for all comparisons less than 1 kg. None of the food groups showed an important reduction in body weight when restricted to studies conducted in participants with overweight or obesity.

Conclusions

Interventions with a single food or food group resulted in no or trivial weight loss, especially in  individuals with overweight or obesity. Further trials on single foods or food groups for weight loss should be highly discouraged.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Availability of data and material

All data indicated and analyzed for this study are available by request to the corresponding author.

Abbreviations

BMI:

Body mass index

GRADE:

Grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation

HRQoL:

Health-related quality of life

RCT:

Randomized controlled trials

References:

  1. Abarca-Gómez L, Abdeen ZA, Hamid ZA, Abu-Rmeileh NM, Acosta-Cazares B, Acuin C, Adams RJ, Aekplakorn W, Afsana K, Aguilar-Salinas CA (2017) Worldwide trends in body-mass index, underweight, overweight, and obesity from 1975 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 2416 population-based measurement studies in 128· 9 million children, adolescents, and adults. The lancet 390:2627–2642

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Tremmel M, Gerdtham U-G, Nilsson PM, Saha S (2017) Economic burden of obesity: a systematic literature review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 14:435

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Jayedi A, Soltani S, Zargar MS, Khan TA, Shab-Bidar S (2020) Central fatness and risk of all cause mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of 72 prospective cohort studies. BMJ 370

  4. Kyrgiou M, Kalliala I, Markozannes G, Gunter MJ, Paraskevaidis E, Gabra H, Martin-Hirsch P, Tsilidis KK (2017) Adiposity and cancer at major anatomical sites: umbrella review of the literature. BMJ 356

  5. Kirk SF, Price SL, Penney TL, Rehman L, Lyons RF, Piccinini-Vallis H, Vallis TM, Curran J, Aston M (2014) Blame, shame, and lack of support: a multilevel study on obesity management. Qual Health Res 24:790–800

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Hatzenbuehler ML, Keyes KM, Hasin DS (2009) Associations between perceived weight discrimination and the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the general population. Obesity 17:2033–2039

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Lewis S, Thomas SL, Blood RW, Castle DJ, Hyde J, Komesaroff PA (2011) How do obese individuals perceive and respond to the different types of obesity stigma that they encounter in their daily lives? A qualitative study. Soc Sci Med 73:1349–1356

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Garvey WT, Mechanick JI (2020) Proposal for a scientifically correct and medically actionable disease classification system (ICD) for obesity. Obesity 28:484–492

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Mechanick JI, Hurley DL, Garvey WT (2017) Adiposity-based chronic disease as a new diagnostic term: the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American College of Endocrinology position statement. Endocr Pract 23:372–378

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Wharton S, Lau DC, Vallis M, Sharma AM, Biertho L, Campbell-Scherer D, Adamo K, Alberga A, Bell R, Boulé N (2020) Obesity in adults: a clinical practice guideline. CMAJ 192:E875–E891

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Ge L, Sadeghirad B, Ball GD, da Costa BR, Hitchcock CL, Svendrovski A, Kiflen R, Quadri K, Kwon HY, Karamouzian M (2020) Comparison of dietary macronutrient patterns of 14 popular named dietary programmes for weight and cardiovascular risk factor reduction in adults: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised trials. BMJ 369

  12. Johnston BC, Kanters S, Bandayrel K, Wu P, Naji F, Siemieniuk RA, Ball GD, Busse JW, Thorlund K, Guyatt G (2014) Comparison of weight loss among named diet programs in overweight and obese adults: a meta-analysis. JAMA 312:923–933

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Tobias DK, Chen M, Manson JE, Ludwig DS, Willett W, Hu FB (2015) Effect of low-fat diet interventions versus other diet interventions on long-term weight change in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 3:968–979

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Sanders LM, Zhu Y, Wilcox ML, Koecher K, Maki KC (2021) Effects of whole grain intake, compared with refined grain, on appetite and energy intake: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Adv Nutr

  15. Casas-Agustench P, López-Uriarte P, Bulló M, Ros E, Gómez-Flores A, Salas-Salvadó J (2009) Acute effects of three high-fat meals with different fat saturations on energy expenditure, substrate oxidation and satiety. Clin Nutr 28:39–45

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Abargouei AS, Janghorbani M, Salehi-Marzijarani M, Esmaillzadeh A (2012) Effect of dairy consumption on weight and body composition in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials. Int J Obes 36:1485–1493

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Kim SJ, De Souza RJ, Choo VL, Ha V, Cozma AI, Chiavaroli L, Mirrahimi A, Blanco Mejia S, Di Buono M, Bernstein AM (2016) Effects of dietary pulse consumption on body weight: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr 103:1213–1223

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Mytton OT, Nnoaham K, Eyles H, Scarborough P, Ni Mhurchu C (2014) Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of increased vegetable and fruit consumption on body weight and energy intake. BMC Public Health 14:1–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Chen M, Pan A, Malik VS, Hu FB (2012) Effects of dairy intake on body weight and fat: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr 96:735–747

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  20. Flores-Mateo G, Rojas-Rueda D, Basora J, Ros E, Salas-Salvadó J (2013) Nut intake and adiposity: meta-analysis of clinical trials. Am J Clin Nutr 97:1346–1355

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Pol K, Christensen R, Bartels EM, Raben A, Tetens I, Kristensen M (2013) Whole grain and body weight changes in apparently healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies. Am J Clin Nutr 98:872–884

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Sadeghi O, Sadeghian M, Rahmani S, Maleki V, Larijani B, Esmaillzadeh A (2020) Whole-grain consumption does not affect obesity measures: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Adv Nutr 11:280–292

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Akhlaghi M, Zare M, Nouripour F (2017) Effect of soy and soy isoflavones on obesity-related anthropometric measures: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials. Adv Nutr 8:705–717

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Higgins JP, Thomas J, Chandler J, Cumpston M, Li T, Page MJ, Welch VA (2019) Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions. John Wiley & Sons

    Book  Google Scholar 

  25. Schunemann H (2008) GRADE handbook for grading quality of evidence and strength of recommendation. Version 3.2. https://gdt.gradepro.org/app/handbook/handbook.html

  26. Ahmad Jayedi LG, Bradly J, Morteza A, Maryam S, Saba M, Hossein S, Parivash G, Sakineh S-B (2020) Food groups and body weight: a protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized trials. OSF June 4. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/Q8VN4

  27. Schlesinger S, Neuenschwander M, Schwedhelm C, Hoffmann G, Bechthold A, Boeing H, Schwingshackl L (2019) Food groups and risk of overweight, obesity, and weight gain: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. Adv Nutr 10:205–218

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Identification EPot, Overweight To, Adults Oi, Heart N, Lung, Institute B, Diabetes NIo, Diseases K (1998) Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: the evidence report. vol 98. National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

  29. Feinman RD, Pogozelski WK, Astrup A, Bernstein RK, Fine EJ, Westman EC, Accurso A, Frassetto L, Gower BA, McFarlane SI (2015) Dietary carbohydrate restriction as the first approach in diabetes management: critical review and evidence base. Nutrition 31:1–13

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Group W (1998) Development of the World Health Organization WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment. Psychol Med 28:551–558

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Sullivan M, Sullivan L, Kral J (1987) Quality of life assessment in obesity: physical, psychological, and social function. Gastroenterol Clin North Am 16:433–442

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Force UPST (2003) Screening for obesity in adults: recommendations and rationale. Ann Intern Med 139:930

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Ades A, Sculpher M, Sutton A, Abrams K, Cooper N, Welton N, Lu G (2006) Bayesian methods for evidence synthesis in cost-effectiveness analysis. Pharmacoeconomics 24:1–19

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Lumley T (2002) Network meta-analysis for indirect treatment comparisons. Stat Med 21:2313–2324

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Furukawa TA, Barbui C, Cipriani A, Brambilla P, Watanabe N (2006) Imputing missing standard deviations in meta-analyses can provide accurate results. J Clin Epidemiol 59:7–10

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Luo D, Wan X, Liu J, Tong T (2018) Optimally estimating the sample mean from the sample size, median, mid-range, and/or mid-quartile range. Stat Methods Med Res 27:1785–1805

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Wan X, Wang W, Liu J, Tong T (2014) Estimating the sample mean and standard deviation from the sample size, median, range and/or interquartile range. BMC Med Res Methodol 14:1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Chaimani A, Higgins JP, Mavridis D, Spyridonos P, Salanti G (2013) Graphical tools for network meta-analysis in STATA. PLoS One 8:e76654

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  39. Guyatt GH, Oxman AD, Vist GE, Kunz R, Falck-Ytter Y, Alonso-Coello P, Schünemann HJ (2008) GRADE: an emerging consensus on rating quality of evidence and strength of recommendations. BMJ 336:924–926

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  40. Brignardello-Petersen R, Bonner A, Alexander PE, Siemieniuk RA, Furukawa TA, Rochwerg B, Hazlewood GS, Alhazzani W, Mustafa RA, Murad MH (2018) Advances in the GRADE approach to rate the certainty in estimates from a network meta-analysis. J Clin Epidemiol 93:36–44

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Santesso N, Glenton C, Dahm P, Garner P, Akl EA, Alper B, Brignardello-Petersen R, Carrasco-Labra A, De Beer H, Hultcrantz M (2020) GRADE guidelines 26: informative statements to communicate the findings of systematic reviews of interventions. J Clin Epidemiol 119:126–135

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Schünemann H, Brożek J, Guyatt G, Oxman A (2013) GRADE handbook for grading quality of evidence and strength of recommendations [Internet]. The grade Working group

  43. Shi Q, Wang Y, Hao Q, Vandvik PO, Guyatt G, Li J, Chen Z, Xu S, Shen Y, Ge L (2021) Pharmacotherapy for adults with overweight and obesity: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. The Lancet

  44. Florez ID, Veroniki A-A, Al Khalifah R, Yepes-Nunez JJ, Sierra JM, Vernooij RW, Acosta-Reyes J, Granados CM, Perez-Gaxiola G, Cuello-Garcia C (2018) Comparative effectiveness and safety of interventions for acute diarrhea and gastroenteritis in children: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. PloS One 13

  45. Food U, Administration D (2009) Centre for drug evaluation and research: guidance for industry. Bioanal Method Valid. 2001.

  46. Heymsfield SB, Wadden TA (2017) Mechanisms, pathophysiology, and management of obesity. N Engl J Med 376:254–266

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Lamarche B, Banach MS, Srichaikul K, Vidgen E, Mitchell S, Parker T, Nishi S, Bashyam B (2018) Nuts as a replacement for carbohydrates in the diabetic diet: a reanalysis of a randomised controlled trial. Diabetologia 61:1734–1747

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  48. Wang W, Li J, Chen X, Yu M, Pan Q, Guo L (2020) Whole grain food diet slightly reduces cardiovascular risks in obese/overweight adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Cardiovasc Disord 20:1–11

    Google Scholar 

  49. Asbaghi O, Hadi A, Campbell MS, Venkatakrishnan K, Ghaedi E (2020) Effects of pistachios on anthropometric indices, inflammatory markers, endothelial function, and blood pressure in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Br J Nutr:1–27

  50. Del Gobbo LC, Falk MC, Feldman R, Lewis K, Mozaffarian D (2015) Effects of tree nuts on blood lipids, apolipoproteins, and blood pressure: systematic review, meta-analysis, and dose-response of 61 controlled intervention trials. Am J Clin Nutr 102:1347–1356

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  51. Eslampour E, Moodi V, Asbaghi O, Ghaedi E, Shirinbakhshmasoleh M, Hadi A, Miraghajani M (2020) The effect of almond intake on anthropometric indices: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Food Funct 11:7340–7355

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  52. Fang Z, Dang M, Zhang W, Kord-Varkaneh H, Nazary-Vannani A, Santos HO, Tan SC, Clark CC, Zanghelini F, do Nascimento IJB (2020) Effects of walnut intake on anthropometric characteristics: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Complement Ther Med:102395

  53. Geng T, Qi L, Huang T (2018) Effects of dairy products consumption on body weight and body composition among adults: an updated meta-analysis of 37 randomized control trials. Mol Nutr Food Res 62:1700410

    Article  Google Scholar 

  54. Schwingshackl L, Hoffmann G, Schwedhelm C, Kalle-Uhlmann T, Missbach B, Knüppel S, Boeing H (2016) Consumption of dairy products in relation to changes in anthropometric variables in adult populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. PLoS One 11:e0157461

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  55. Stonehouse W, Wycherley T, Luscombe-Marsh N, Taylor P, Brinkworth G, Riley M (2016) Dairy intake enhances body weight and composition changes during energy restriction in 18–50-year-old adults—a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrients 8:394

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  56. Brignardello-Petersen R, Florez ID, Izcovich A, Santesso N, Hazlewood G, Alhazanni W, Yepes-Nuñez JJ, Tomlinson G, Schünemann HJ, Guyatt GH (2020) GRADE approach to drawing conclusions from a network meta-analysis using a minimally contextualised framework. BMJ 371

  57. Brignardello-Petersen R, Izcovich A, Rochwerg B, Florez ID, Hazlewood G, Alhazanni W, Yepes-Nuñez J, Santesso N, Guyatt GH, Schünemann HJ (2020) GRADE approach to drawing conclusions from a network meta-analysis using a partially contextualised framework. BMJ 371

  58. Jensen MD, Ryan DH, Apovian CM, Ard JD, Comuzzie AG, Donato KA, Hu FB, Hubbard VS, Jakicic JM, Kushner RF (2014) 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guideline for the management of overweight and obesity in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines and The Obesity Society. J Am Coll Cardiol 63:2985–3023

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  59. Lau DC, Douketis JD, Morrison KM, Hramiak IM, Sharma AM, Ur E (2007) 2006 Canadian clinical practice guidelines on the management and prevention of obesity in adults and children [summary]. CMAJ 176:S1–S13

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  60. Group LAR (2014) Eight-year weight losses with an intensive lifestyle intervention: the look AHEAD study. Obesity 22:5–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

The authors reported no funding received for this study. BCJ reports receiving a grant from Texas A&M AgriLife Research to fund investigator-initiated research related to saturated and polyunsaturated fats. The grant was from Texas A&M AgriLife institutional funds from interest and investment earnings, not a sponsoring organization, industry, or company. In 2015 (outside ICJME 36 month disclosure period), Dr. Johnston received funding from the International Life Sciences Institute (North America) to assess the methodological quality of nutrition guidelines using internationally accepted GRADE and AGREE guideline standards for a study titled “The Scientific Basis of Guideline Recommendations on Sugar Intake: A Systematic Review.”

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran

    Ahmad Jayedi

  2. Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), No 44, Hojjat-Dost Alley, Naderi St., Keshavarz Blvd, Tehran, Iran

    Ahmad Jayedi, Maryam Safabakhsh, Saba Mohamadpur, Parivash Ghorbaninejad, Sheida Zeraattalab-Motlagh, Aliyu Tijani Jibril & Sakineh Shab-Bidar

  3. Evidence Based Social Science Research Centre, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China

    Long Ge

  4. Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China

    Long Ge

  5. Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Long Ge & Bradly C. Johnston

  6. Department of Nutrition, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77845, USA

    Bradly C. Johnston

  7. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77845, USA

    Bradly C. Johnston

  8. Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Hossein Shahinfar

  9. Infectious Diseases Research Center, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran

    Morteza Abyadeh

  10. Yazd Cardiovascular Research Center, Non-communicable Diseases Research Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

    Sepideh Soltani

Authors
  1. Ahmad Jayedi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Long Ge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Bradly C. Johnston
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hossein Shahinfar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Maryam Safabakhsh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Saba Mohamadpur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Parivash Ghorbaninejad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Morteza Abyadeh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Sheida Zeraattalab-Motlagh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Sepideh Soltani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Aliyu Tijani Jibril
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Sakineh Shab-Bidar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

AJ, BCJ, LG, and SS-B conceived and designed the study; AJ and SS-B conducted systematic search; “MA and HS” and “MS and SM” screened articles and selected eligible articles; AJ and SS-B extracted information from eligible studies; LG performed analysis; AJ and SS-B performed quality assessment; LG, BCJ and SS-B critically revised the manuscript and contributed to the interpretation of the results. All authors contributed to write, review or revise the paper. SS-B and BCJ are the guarantors. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript. All authors had full access to all the data and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Bradly C. Johnston or Sakineh Shab-Bidar.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors conducted this study independently without involvement of the funder. Other authors: No competing interest.

Registration

Open Science Framework (registered form: osf.io/aex7c; registration https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/Q8VN4).

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 1067 kb)

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jayedi, A., Ge, L., Johnston, B.C. et al. Comparative effectiveness of single foods and food groups on body weight: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of 152 randomized controlled trials. Eur J Nutr 62, 1153–1164 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-022-03046-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-022-03046-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation