Forget fad diets ...the secret is healthy eating

WHETHER it’s Atkins or keto, 4:3 or 16:8, every dieting plan will boast it has the best results for weight loss or improving health.

But a major study has found it really doesn’t matter which fad diet you choose – as long as you simply eat healthily.

A 32-year study of more than 200,000 participants found there is no one diet better than the rest when it comes to improving cardiovascular fitness.

The main boost was generally following healthy eating patterns – even if that included switching between diet plans.

The researchers, led by Harvard School of Public Health in the US,

‘There is no one-size-fits-all’

ranked participants based on how well they complied with four types of healthy diet, including Mediterranean and vegan.

The healthy eating plans all share several components, including higher intake of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, and nuts – but they found it didn’t matter which plan was followed.

Instead, those participants who were found to follow any of the four diets most closely had lower cardiovascular risk.

Researcher Zhilei Shan said: ‘Although each healthy eating pattern represents a different combination of dietary constituents, our study indicates greater adherence to any of the four healthy eating patterns is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease.’

Participants in each diet study were asked questions about their dietary habits every two to four years, such as how often they ate a standard portion size of food.

Each person was given a dietary score, with higher numbers representing greater adherence to healthy eating patterns. After adjusting for age, weight and smoking, the researchers found that those who scored in the top 25% had their risk of developing cardiovascular disease slashed by 14 to 21% when compared with those in the lowest 25%.

Professor Frank Hu, who worked on the paper published in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal, said: ‘There is no one-size-fits-all diet best for everyone. One can combine foods in a variety of flexible ways to achieve healthy eating patterns according to individuals’ health needs, food preferences and cultural traditions.’

It comes after a 2018 study found there is a ‘sweet spot’ of consumption levels of all nutrients – and that eating too much or too little can be damaging.

The answer, it found, is everything in moderation.