The Study
The Protein-Sparing Modified Fast Diet
This study watched 12 kids lose weight on a special diet and said, 'They lost weight!' But we don't know if the diet caused it — maybe they also got more exercise, or their families helped more. It's like seeing your friend get better after taking a new vitamin — but you don't know if the vitamin did it or if they just slept better.
Analysis score
Maximum 58 for a case-control study.
Where the score came from
A super strict diet called PSMF, where teens eat mostly protein and almost no carbs or fats, helped some very overweight teens lose weight quickly under doctor supervision.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 552 / 100
Quality score
Researchers compare people who have a condition (cases) with similar people who do not (controls), looking back in time for differences in exposure. Useful but more prone to bias.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Losing 10% of body weight can significantly improve health risks like high blood pressure and cholesterol, even if it's not a cure.
- 2On average, teens lost 11.19 kg (about 25 pounds), which is nearly 10% of their starting weight.
- 3Half lost more than 5% of their weight, and 1 in 5 lost more than 10%.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Global Pediatric Health
Year
2016
Authors
Marwan Bakhach, Vaishal Shah, T. Harwood, S. Lappe, Natalie Bhesania, S. Mansoor, N. Alkhouri
Related Content
Claims (6)
A specialized low-protein diet, given with medical oversight, supplements, and behavioral support, leads to rapid weight loss in severely obese adolescents who did not lose weight with standard methods.
Among severely obese adolescents aged 12 to 18 with BMI of at least 27 kg/m² who did not lose weight through standard methods, a medically supervised 6-month protein-sparing modified fast resulted in an average weight loss of 11.19 kg, with half losing more than 5% of their starting weight and one-fifth losing more than 10%.
In severely obese adolescents following a medically supervised protein-sparing modified fast, total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein levels changed, but the changes were not large enough to be considered reliable due to few participants and many dropping out.
Among severely obese adolescents on a medically supervised protein-sparing fast, some experienced mild side effects like dehydration, low energy, and mood swings, but no serious health dangers occurred.
Among severely obese teenagers who could not lose weight with standard methods, 40% stopped following a medically supervised protein-sparing fast within six months.
A protein-sparing modified fast reduces liver glycogen stores, lowers insulin levels, and increases the body's use of fat for energy.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.