Psoriasis

• In 2013 JAMA Dermatology published a study in which 60 overweight patients with psoriasis were assigned to a control group or a low-calorie diet (800-1000 kcal/d) for 8 weeks, followed by 8 weeks of reintroduction of normal food intake. The low-calorie group experienced clinical improvements in psoriasis compared to the control group. [Source]
• In 2015 the International Journal of Obesity published a meta-analysis of 5 clinical trials for which the data showed non-surgical weight loss is associated with a reduction in psoriasis severity in overweight and obese patients. [Source]
• In 2008 the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a 24-week study in which 61 obese patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis were treated with either 2.5 mg per day cyclosporine alone or combined with a low-calorie diet. The results showed that the low-calorie-diet group responded better to low-dose cyclosporine. [Source]
• In 2013 Dermatology Research and Practice published a 24-week clinical trial in which 10 patients with chronic plaque-type psoriasis were assigned to a low-calorie diet along with a topical treatment. After 12 weeks average body weight lost was 9.6 percent. Half of the study participants saw a 50 percent or greater improvement in psoriasis severity scores. [Source]
• In 2016 The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study involving 32 psoriasis patients which demonstrated that a 16-week low-calorie diet resulting in an average weight loss of 33 lbs lead to positive, lasting effects on psoriasis severity. [Source]
• In 2014 Expert Opinion in Biological Therapy published a 262-patient study in which weight loss induced by a 1000 calorie (or less) per day diet for 8 weeks (averaging 28 total lbs lost) improved effectiveness of psoriasis drugs when compared to a control group who consumed a normal diet. [Source]
• In 2014 Annals of the Rheumatoid Diseases published a study involving 126 subjects which found that overweight patients who successfully lost at least 5 percent of their body weight achieved improved results using psoriasis treatment drugs (TNFa blockers). Patients who lost greater than 10 percent body weight saw the most significant improvements, with 60 percent of these patients achieving minimal disease activity (MDA). [Source]

Eating breakfast for weight loss

• In 2002 Obesity Research published a study based on 2,925 subjects in the National Weight Control Registry who maintained weight loss of at least 30 lbs for least 1 year, with an average 6 years of maintained weight loss. The data showed that 78 percent of these individuals ate breakfast everyday of the week. [Source]
• In 2013 Obesity published a 12-week study in which overweight and obese women ate either a large breakfast (700 Kcal), a normal lunch (500 Kcal) and a small dinner (200 Kcal) or a small breakfast (200 Kcal), a normal lunch (500 Kcal) and a large dinner (700 Kcal). The group that consumed a large breakfast had greater weight loss and waist circumference reduction as well as a 33 percent decrease in triglyceride levels compared to a 14 percent increase in triglycerides in the group that consumed a large dinner. [Source]

Green Coffee

• In 2011 Gastroenterology Research and Practice published a meta-analysis of 3 studies which found that green coffee extract had a moderate effect on weight loss when compared to a placebo. However, the authors note that more rigorous trials are needed due to poor methodological quality and high risk of bias in the studies analyzed. [Source]
• In 2007 The Journal of International Medical Research published a double-blind study involving 30 overweight volunteers which found that after 12 weeks, consumption of chlorogenic acid enriched (green) coffee led to a 12 lb average weight loss compared to less than 4 pounds in the normal instant coffee group. [Source]

Green Coffee – Helps prevent weight gain

• In 2006 BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine published an animal study which found that green coffee bean extract prevented against weight gain and fat accumulation in mice – with caffeine in particular shown to be a suppressor of fat absorption. [Source]
• In 2016 the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine published an animal study in which obese mice gained significantly less weight when consuming green coffee bean extract along with a high-fat diet compared to mice fed a high-fat diet alone. [Source]

Ketogenic diet

• In 2004 Annals of Internal Medicine published a 24-week study comparing a low-fat diet with a ketogenic diet in 120 overweight individuals. The individuals on the ketogenic diet lost significantly more weight and showed greater decreases in triglyceride levels and greater increases in HDL (good) cholesterol. [Source]
• In 2013 The British Journal of Nutrition published a meta-analysis of 13 studies which found that ketogenic diets produced greater long-term weight loss than low-fat diets, while also reducing blood pressure, insulin levels and C-reactive proteins – a measure of inflammation in the body. [Source]
• In 2012 the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition published a study which found that a very low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet produced a significant decrease in body weight and fat mass without a significant loss of muscle mass in elite gymnasts. [Source]
• In 2006 Molecular and Cellular Biology published a study in which 66 obese but otherwise healthy adults with either elevated cholesterol or normal cholesterol adhered to a ketogenic diet for a period of 56 weeks. Both groups (elevated and normal cholesterol) saw significant reductions in body weight, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and significant increases in HDL cholesterol. The researchers concluded that low-carbohydrate diets are safe for long-term use. [Source]
• In 2010 Nutrition and Metabolism published a study in which 18 overweight women were assigned to either a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet or a regular diet – both diets combined with resistance training twice a week for 10 weeks. The ketogenic group saw a 12 pound weight reduction with all of the weight lost being fat mass and no significant change in lean body mass. The regular diet group saw no significant change in fat mass. [Source]

Eggs

• In 2008 the International Journal of Obesity published a study in which two groups of healthy overweight individuals consumed a 1000-calorie-deficit, low-fat diet where either 2 eggs or a bagel containing equal calories was consumed for breakfast at least 5 days per week. After 8 weeks the egg-group showed a 61 percent greater reduction in BMI, a 65 percent greater weight loss, a 34 percent greater reduction in waist circumference and a 16 percent greater reduction in body fat. Cholesterol profiles did not differ between groups. [Source]

Calorie restriction

• In 2012 Nutrition Journal published a 10-week clinical trial involving 54 subjects which found that intermittent fasting combined with a calorie restricted diet and liquid meals was effective in reducing body fat, weight, LDL cholesterol, abdominal fat and cardiovascular risk in obese women. [Source]

Low-carb diet – Weight Loss in Obese Adolescents

• In 2010 the Journal of Pediatrics published a study comparing a low-carbohydrate diet to a low-fat diet in 46 severely obese adolescents. The result was a significant reduction in body mass index in both groups after 36 weeks, though there was no significant difference between groups. [Source]

Low-carb diet

• In 2014 Annals of Internal Medicine published a study in which 148 men and women were placed on a low-carbohydrate or a low-fat diet. After 12 months the low-carb group lost an average of 7.7 pounds more weight than the low fat group and had more significant positive changes in triglycerides, cholesterol and total fat mass. [Source]
• In 2015 The Journal of Nutrition published two trails involving 69 overweight men and women and 30 women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) which demonstrated that a modest reduction in dietary carbohydrates could reduce abdominal fat and fasting insulin and improve body composition. [Source]
• In 2006 The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study involving 20 adults which found that ketogenic and low-carbohydrate diets were equally effective in reducing body weight and insulin resistance, though the ketogenic diet was associated with increased inflammatory risk and adverse emotional effects. The authors, therefore, do not recommend ketogenic diets for weight loss. [Source]

Coconut oil

• In 2011 ISRN Pharmacology published a pilot study which found that virgin coconut oil was able to reduce waist circumference in 20 obese males by an average of 2.86 cm in a 4-week period, when taken in 3 daily doses of 10 ml (about 1 ounce), 30 minutes before each meal. The same effect was not seen in females. [Source]
• In 2008 the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a 16-week study comparing the effect of medium-chain triglyceride oil (coconut oil is comprised of primarily MCTs) to olive oil for weight loss. Thirty-one men and women consumed 18 to 24 grams per day of one of the oils. Results showed that MTC oil lowered body weight and reduced total body fat and omental (belly) fat more than olive oil. [Source]

Honey – Helps prevents weight gain when used as sugar alternative

• In 2008 the Journal of Food Science published an animal study which showed that rats fed a diet supplemented with honey gained significantly less body fat and weight and had reduced HbA1C levels as well as increased HDL (good) cholesterol compared to rats fed a diet supplemented with sucrose (table sugar). [Source]

CLA

• In 2007 the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a meta-analysis of 18 studies on CLA which concluded that 3.2 grams of CLA per day can lead to a modest reduction in body fat. [Source]
• In 2004 the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a one year double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the effects of CLA on 180 healthy, overweight adults. The researchers concluded that long-term supplementation with CLA can reduce body fat mass in overweight individuals. [Source]
• In 2007 the International Journal of Obesity published a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 40 healthy, overweight adults. Results showed that 3.2 grams/day CLA produced a significant reduction in body fat over a 6-month supplementation period, while also preventing weight gain during the holiday season. [Source]
• In 2012 Nutrition published a double-blind study comparing the effects of 12 weeks CLA supplementation with a placebo in 33 overweight subjects. Individuals with a BMI (Body mass index) of over 27 in the CLA group saw a reduction in fat mass, waist-to-hip ratio and body weight. [Source]
• In 2001 The Journal of International Medical Research published a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 20 participants, which found that individuals who exercised for 90 min, 3 times weekly and took .6 grams of CLA 3 times daily at meals lost significantly more body-fat in a 12-week period than individuals who exercised 3 times weekly and took a placebo.

Trans fat – Weight Gain

• In 2007 Obesity published an animal study which found that African monkeys fed a diet which consisted of 8 percent trans fats for a 6-year period gained significantly more weight and accumulated more abdominal fat than monkeys fed a diet which of equal calories where trans fats were substituted with monounsaturated fats. [Source]

Resistance training – Prevents gains in fat mass during weight re-gain after dieting

• In 2010 the Journal of Clinical Hypertension published a study involving 9 individuals who lost 4 to 6 percent of their body weight during an 8 to 12 week diet and aerobic exercise program. The weight loss phase was followed by a resistance training program which was effective in increasing strength and maintaining body fat percentage, waist circumference and improvements in metabolic health during weight regain of approximately 50 percent of weight lost. [Source]

Resistance training

• In 2015 the International Journal of Obesity published a study in which overweight 304 adolescents were assigned to either aerobic training, resistance training, combined training (resistance + aerobic) or a control group for 5 months. Each of the training protocols reduced abdominal fat, with combination training leading to the greatest improvements in cardiovascular health predictors. [Source]

Protein supplements – Increased weight loss and muscle preservation

• In 2008 Nutrition & Metabolism published a 12-week, double-blind study in which 158 participants on a 500-calorie-deficit diet consumed either 20 grams of whey protein or an isocaloric placebo before breakfast and dinner. Both groups lost weight, without a significant difference between groups, but the whey protein group lost significantly more body fat (6.1 percent of their total fat mass) and preserved significantly more lean body mass. [Source]

Artificial sweeteners – Weight Gain

• In 2010 Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine published a highly referenced review that theorized that artificial sweeteners could be related to weight gain because, among other reasons, they do not stimulate the reward pathways in the brain stimulated by real sugar, thus leading to increased sugar craving and subsequently over-consumption of calories. [Source]

Artificial sweeteners – Weight Reduction in Children

• In 2012 The New England Journal of Medicine published an 18-month trial which compared children who consumed sugar-containing beverages with children who consumed beverages sweetened with non-caloric (artificial) sweeteners. The children who consumed the artificially sweetened beverages gained less weight. [Source]

Artificial sweeteners

• In 2014 The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a meta-analysis which included a total of 24 studies on the effects of artificial sweeteners on body mass. The authors of the study concluded that the regular use of low-calorie sweeteners results in modest weight loss. [Source]

Sleep apnea

• In 2008 The American Surgeon published a study which found that 70 percent of overweight patients that were screened for weight loss surgery suffered from obstructive sleep apnea. For the most obese patients, the prevalence of sleep apnea rose to 95 percent. [Source]

Water – Helps prevents weight gain when used as sugar sweetened beverage alternative

• In 2010 Nutrition Reviews published a review of scientific literature which found that people who consumed water, rather than sugar sweetened beverages, juice or milk with meals had significantly lower overall calorie intakes. The authors of the review note the potentially important role of water consumption in preventing obesity. [Source]

Ginseng – prevents weight gain

• In 2014 the Journal of Medicinal Food published an animal study which showed that Chinese ginseng prevented weight gain and insulin resistance in mice fed a high-fat diet. [Source]