Scientific Information on Weight Loss
Weight Loss
Summary of Weight Loss
Scientific Information on Weight Loss
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Human Effect Matrix
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Easily stay on top of the latest nutrition research
Become an Examine Member to get access to the latest research. Get 150+ studies summarized for you across 25 different categories every month.
Members also have access to the Examine Study Database of 400+ supplements and their effects on 600+ health outcomes, as well as in-depth research analyses. Understand the whole body of nutrition and supplement evidence at a glance.
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The Human Effect Matrix looks at human studies to tell you what supplements affect Weight Loss.
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| Grade | Level of Evidence [show legend] |
|---|---|
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Robust research conducted with repeated double-blind clinical trials |
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Multiple studies where at least two are double-blind and placebo controlled |
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Single double-blind study or multiple cohort studies |
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Uncontrolled or observational studies only |
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Level of Evidence
?
The amount of high quality evidence. The more
evidence, the more we can trust the results.
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Supplement |
Magnitude of effect
?
The direction and size of the supplement's impact on
each outcome. Some supplements can have an increasing effect, others have a decreasing effect, and others have no effect.
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Consistency of research results
?
Scientific research does not always agree. HIGH or
VERY HIGH means that most of the scientific research agrees.
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Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Minor
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- See study |
The weight loss that occurs during prolonged strenuous exercise (in these examples, skiing) are attenuated with BCAA supplementation relative to carbohydrate. This is likely indicative of lean mass and/or hydration, and is not necessarily an anti-fat loss effect
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Notable
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- See study |
One study of patients undergoing chemotherapy for colorectal cancer found that those who took kefir were more likely to experience weight loss.
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Start your 14-day free trialStudy Deep Dives
- Will eating breakfast keep you lean?
- Investigating intermittent fasting for body composition and overall health
- Does caffeine actually help you lose weight?
- Quoth the insulin hypothesis, “Nevermore”
- Rate of weight loss and body composition: does “slow and steady” win the race?
- Can whole grains improve insulin resistance in obese adults?
- Pro-bono: protein for bone retention
- Evaluating the safety and efficacy of very low calorie ketogenic diets
- Nulls: November–December 2019
- Deep Dive: Thick fiber for slimming down
- Can alpha-lipoic acid supplementation shed some pounds?
- Stepping up weight loss: Can walking help dieters shed fat?
- Lean beef: take it or leave it for weight loss
- Is there really no benefit from protein supplementation on weight loss maintenance?
- The best weight-loss diet is the one you can stick to
- Do different dieting strategies lead to loss of control after losing weight?
- The study that didn’t end the low-fat/low-carb diet “wars”
- Nulls: March-April 2020
- Low calorie sweeteners: friend or foe in bodyweight management?
- Deep Dive: The diet dilemma—should you follow your heart?
- Interview: Marie Bragg, PhD
- Shedding weight and fat with L-carnitine: fact or fiction?
- Green tea for weight loss: does it really work?
- Tortoise and the hare: Comparing the effects of weight loss speed
- If you eat very little one day, do you overeat the following days?
- Nulls: July-August 2020
- The mindfulness-body connection
- Can diet soda ruin your diet?
- Eat a day, skip a day?
- Does being insulin resistant affect weight loss on a low-fat or low-carb diet?
- A review of carnitine and weight loss
- Alpha-lipoic acid for taming high triglycerides and boosting weight loss
- Fattening up breakfast for weight loss
- Dead, yet active probiotics?
- A compound from beer may help fat loss
- ALA: Alliterative (anti)Longevity Aid?
- Dieting, with a side of extra protein
- Mini: Predicting the route of the regain train
- Spice up your satiety?
- Investigating slow carbs for metabolic rate
- Probiotics and the propensity for portliness
- Human eating patterns ... there’s an app for that
- Can resveratrol fight obesity?
- Fructose: the sweet truth
- Green tea extract may not be an equal opportunity fat loss supplement
- Diets, fast and slow
- Running on empty: can we chase the fat away?
- Deep Dive: Determining the per-kilogram effects of weight loss on lipid levels
- Deep Dive: Comparing the efficacy of diet, exercise, and lifestyle modifications for controlling childhood obesity
- Deep Dive: Do Low-Carb Diets Stoke the Metabolic Fire?
- Deeper Dive: What are the differences between people who lose an expected amount of weight on a restricted diet and people who don't?
- Deeper Dive: What is the best weight loss strategy for treating knee osteoarthritis?
- Deeper Dive: Melatonin mysteries — can supplementation decrease circadian misalignment and body weight in night shift workers?
- Beyond strict meal planning: dietary flexibility won’t hurt body composition goals
- Digital self-monitoring improves adherence to habits associated with weight loss
- Meal replacements or food: which one is better for weight loss?
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Frequently Asked Questions and Articles on Weight Loss
How does protein affect weight loss?
To lose more fat and retain more muscle on a weight-loss diet, protein quantity matters more than protein quality.
Whey vs soy protein: which is better when losing weight?
Whey protein stimulates muscle protein synthesis rates more than soy protein, but supplementing with ~25 grams per day of either has similar effects on body composition over two weeks of dieting.
Is it OK to skip breakfast?
Is my “slow metabolism” stalling my weight loss?
Do you need to detox?
While your body does accumulate toxicants, cleanses (detox diets) aren’t supported by toxicological mechanisms or trial evidence, and they can occasionally be dangerous. Your liver, lungs, kidneys, and other organs work nonstop to “detoxify” you; a diet rich in protein, vegetables, and fruits will provide them with the nutrients they need to function optimally.
5 little-known facts about protein
Can you survive if you eat only protein? Can you survive without eating protein? How does your body keep functioning when you fast? Do high-protein diets actually promote weight loss, or do they only help you retain muscle when you eat below maintenance? Find the answers to those questions, and more, in the article below.
Stepping up weight loss: Can walking help dieters shed fat?
Walking doesn't do much for fat loss on its own. But there's reason to suspect it could boost the benefits of a caloric deficit.
Will eating breakfast keep you lean?
A lot of the evidence supporting the idea that eating breakfast is important for shedding pounds comes from observational studies. Do clinical trials support this claim, too?
Exploring chia seeds for weight loss
Oh no, another superfood fad! Not so fast. This six month trial put chia seeds to a rigorous test, looking for weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Measuring body fat percentage: It's an accuracy thing
Comparing DEXA versus Bod Pod for people with different BMI.
How important is sleep?
Sleep is incredibly important, and can be considered crucial alongside diet and exercise. Proper sleep habits help sustain many biological processes, and bad sleep can cause these processes to be suboptimal or even malfunction.
How to minimize fat gain during the holidays
Holiday season is when most people gain weight (and then struggle to take it off). Overfeeding on protein could be your solution in helping minimize the fat gain.
3 Science-based steps to curbing your appetite
Fiber, stress relief, and supplement options can help curb your appetite!
Can food have negative calories?
‘Negative calorie’ foods (foods that have fewer calories than your body expends to digest them) likely don't exist. However, food typically thought of as ‘negative calorie’ are often low in total calories and high in fiber and water content — so their regular consumption may aid in weight loss.
Can you lose weight by turning down the heater?
Does daily weighing help you lose weight?
The lowdown on intermittent fasting
We analyze the research on intermittent fasting and how it impacts your health.
Does high-protein intake help when dieting?
We analyze a study which suggests that a higher protein-intake while dieting can help you lose more fat.
I'm not too tired to stuff my face
This study found that total sleep deprivation leads to more calories eaten overall, but those calories were all consumed at night. Sleep deprivation did not affect the amount of calories consumed the following day.
Low-fat vs. low-carb? Major study concludes: it doesn’t matter for weight loss
A year-long randomized clinical trial (DIETFITS) has found that a low-fat diet and a low-carb diet produced similar weight loss and improvements in metabolic health markers. Furthermore, insulin production and tested genes had no impact on predicting weight loss success or failure. Thus, evidence to date indicates you should choose your diet based on personal preferences, health goals, and sustainability.
What should you eat for weight loss?
When it comes to figuring out what to eat for weight loss, the most important factor is eating less. When you consume less calories than you spend you will lose weight and the diet that helps you lose weight best will be the one that allows you to consume less calories without causing much distress or lethargy. The key is to pick a diet that you can adhere to.
How do I get a six-pack?
You eat less food to reduce body fat. There will be abdominal muscles under the fat, and adding some muscle to this area (resistance training) can make them appear more aesthetic; fat loss is the main predictor, however
Does diet soda inhibit fat loss?
It does not inhibit fat loss at all, and may actually suppress appetite that could help fat loss (although it does not induce fat loss per se either). Diet soda, in regards to body fat, is a carbonated inert beverage
Does eating at night make it more likely to gain weight?
While the evidence is mixed, depending on who was studied and what the diets were, there does not seem to be a major inherent weight-gain effect when eating late at night. Individual results may vary, and other factors such as circadian rhythms should be considered as well.
How do I stay out of "starvation mode?"
Marasmus is a disease of caloric restriction, but you most likely don't have it. Your metabolic rate can definitely slow down during weight loss, but it will never slow to the point where it causes you to gain weight; in this sense, starvation mode is a myth.
Can hypothyroidism lead to fat gain?
Yes, a less active thyroid will reduce metabolic rate and can cause some weight gain. It is not a lot of weight gain though, and a subactive thyroid is not an excuse for obesity (if hypothyroidic, please see a doctor for medication; it burns fat)
Does aspartame increase appetite?
How do I lose fat around my belly?
I have lost significant weight and now have loose skin. How can I tighten up my skin?
Will lifting weights convert my fat into muscle?
Will my breasts shrink with weight loss?
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