COULD THIS BE...

just another fad diet?

With new fad diets I always seek confirmation in science, and a new study shows why the increasingly popular fibre-rich New Nordic Diet may not work for you.

A group of 62 overweight Danish people followed either this new diet or an average Danish diet, the former being a fibre-rich option with emphasis on vegetables and fruits. The participants’ weight and body measurements were taken before and after they started their 26-week diets.

Researchers also looked at the numbers of a certain bacteria (Prevotella) in their intestines and designated them high or low. On average, the 31 participants who ate the Nordic diet for 26 weeks lost 3.5 kilograms, whereas the 23 participants following the average Danish diet lost 1.7kg. The New Nordic Diet worked best for people with lots of Prevotella bacteria. They lost 3.15 kilograms more body fat, and their waistlines also decreased more significantly. The study’s co-lead author, Arne Astrup, said: “These results are a breakthrough demonstrating that certain bacterial species play a decisive role in weight regulation. Now we can explain why a high-fibre diet does not always lead to weight loss.” If you don’t have the bacteria, you probably won’t lose the weight.