Paleo diet effective for weight loss, but more research needed

A study has found the paleo diet to be more effective for weight loss than the Australian Dietary Guidelines.

The study by Edith Cowan University’s School of Medical and Health Science involved 39 healthy women, with half eating a paleo diet while the rest were assigned the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE) diet over a four-week period.

The paleo diet is based mainly on foods presumed to be available to paleolithic humans, and generally includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, roots, meat and organ meats, but excludes foods such as dairy products, grains, sugar, legumes, processed oils, salt, alcohol and coffee.

The paleo group lost an average of 2 kg more over the period than the AGHE diet group.

Lead researcher Angela Genoni said the study also examined the impact on cardiovascular health and found no significant difference between the paleo and AGHE diets.

“While both groups lost weight over the period, the paleo group lost an average of 4.3% of their body weight over the testing period, compared to 1.6% for the AGHE group,” she said.

However, she urged caution about advocating a diet that cuts out entire food groups, highlighting the marked reduction in calcium intake from the paleo diet relative to the AGHE diet, due to the exclusion of all dairy products. She said this could have a negative impact on bone strength, particularly in older people.

Associate Professor Amanda Devine, who also contributed to the research, said that more research was needed to fully understand the health implications of the paleo diet. Devine said a further study was planned that would particularly focus on the impact of the paleo diet on gut health.

‘Cardiovascular, Metabolic Effects and Dietary Composition of Ad-Libitum Paleolithic vs. Australian Guide to Healthy Eating Diets: A 4-Week Randomised Trial’ was published in the journal Nutrients.