Calorie Restriction and Mediterranean-Style Diet Yield Similar Weight Loss

THURSDAY, Aug. 27, 2026 (HealthDay News) — While a Mediterranean-style dietary intervention improves diet quality at 24 months, it does not lead to significantly greater weight loss than a calorie-restricting diet, according to a study published online Aug. 20 in JAMA Network Open.

Thomas C. Keyserling, M.D., from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues assessed whether a behavioral weight-loss intervention promoting a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern yields sustained weight loss at 24 months and improves diet quality versus a control intervention focused on reducing energy intake. The analysis included 118 patients with obesity randomly assigned to the Mediterranean-style or control weight-loss program participating in the 24-month follow-up.

The researchers found that the adjusted mean percentage change in body weight at the 24-month follow-up was −3.40 percent for the Mediterranean-style intervention and −3.51 percent for the control intervention. The Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 score was higher among the Mediterranean-style group versus the control group at follow-up (difference, 3.62).

“Further research is needed to discern the extent to which diet quality affects obesity-related health outcomes in the context of behavioral weight-loss interventions,” the authors write.

Two authors disclosed financial ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text