Increased fruit and vegetable intake has no discernible effect on weight loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: A common dietary recommendation for weight loss, especially in lay public outlets, is to eat more fruit and vegetables (F/Vs). Without a compensatory reduction in total energy intake, significant weight loss would be unlikely. Objective: We aimed to synthesize the best available evidence on the effectiveness of the general recommendation to eat more F/Vs for weight loss or the prevention of weight gain. Design: We searched multiple databases for human randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effect of increased F/V intake on body weight. Inclusion criteria were as follows: $ 15 subjects/ treatment arm, $8-wk intervention, a stated primary or secondary outcome of body weight, the stated goal of the intervention was weight or fat loss or the prevention of weight or fat gain, and food intake provided or prescribed was of a variety of F/Vs that remained minimally processed. Results: Two studies met all criteria; 5 other studies met all criteria but one. The primary analysis indicated an effect size of weight change (outcome of interest) from baseline [standardized mean difference (SMD) for studies that met all criteria] of 20.16 (95% CI: 20.78, 0.46) (P = 0.60). The SMD for 7 studies that met all or most criteria was 0.04 (95% CI: 20.10, 0.17) (P = 0.62). Conclusions: Studies to date do not support the proposition that recommendations to increase F/V intake or the home delivery or provision of F/Vs will cause weight loss. On the basis of the current evidence, recommending increased F/V consumption to treat or prevent obesity without explicitly combining this approach with efforts to reduce intake of other energy sources is unwarranted. This systematic review and meta-analysis was registered at http://www.crd. york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ as CRD42013004688 Am J Clin Nutr

Reduction of Portion Size and Eating Rate Is Associated with BMI-SDS Reduction in Overweight and Obese Children and Adolescents: Results on Eating and Nutrition Behaviour from the Observational KgAS Study

“…We found that a higher intake of green food was associated with 1-year weight reduction in children and adolescents. A more frequent intake of vegetables and fruits was found to be associated with higher weight reduction for a longterm period in children and adolescents, while there was no effect on weight loss in adults [37,40] . Nevertheless, a more frequent intake of vegetables, fruits and whole-grain products is important for a healthy level of vitamins and minerals and should also be targeted in interventions.…”

Development of obesity is reduced in high-fat fed mice fed whole raspberries, raspberry juice concentrate, and a combination of the raspberry phytochemicals ellagic acid and raspberry ketone

“…Attempts to find a cure for obesity, diabetes, and associated metabolic conditions have been studied for decades; however very little progress, aside from prescribing dietary and lifestyle changes, has been made [1,5,6].…”

Generating the evidence for risk reduction: a contribution to the future of food-based dietary guidelines

“…A Cochrane review of ten RCT L. Schwingshackl et al 438 focusing on interventions to increase fruit and vegetable consumption showed reductions in diastolic blood pressure, SBP and LDL-C, but analyses were based on only two trials (83) . Other meta-analyses reported no effect on HDL-C, TAG, FG or body weight (84,85) . Meta-analyses investigating the effects of nut consumption reported reductions in TC, LDL-C, TAG, diastolic blood pressure, FG and glycosylated Hb (both in T2D patients) (86)(87)(88) , but no effects on body weight, HDL-C, SBP and C-reactive protein (87,89,90) .…”