Any diet that cuts calories can work, study reiterates

February 26, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Los Angeles Times

Two decades after the debate began on which diet is best for weight loss, a conclusion is starting to come into focus. And the winner is — not low-carb, not low-fat, not high protein, but — any diet.

That is, any diet that is low in calories and saturated fats and high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables — and that an individual can stick with— is a reasonable choice for people who need to lose weight. That’s the conclusion of a study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, representing the longest, largest and most rigorous test of several popular diet strategies.

In light of another highly regarded study published last year that reached a similar conclusion, medical experts are embracing the back-to-basics idea that the simple act of cutting calories is most important when it comes to losing weight. The conclusions could end the often-contentious debate over the comparative effectiveness of diets that are predominantly low in fat, high in protein, low in carbohydrates or marked by other specific configurations of nutrients.