Greater weight loss was reported in studies with higher baseline weights , smaller proportions of female participants , older participants , or longer duration s , and in studies in which weight loss was a goal .
The prescription of vegetarian diets  reduces mean body weight , suggesting potential value for prevention and management of weight-related conditions
In observational studies , vegetarians generally have lower body weights compared with omnivores .
However , weight changes that occur when vegetarian diets are prescribed have not been well quantified .
We estimated the effect on body weight when vegetarian diets are prescribed .
Effects of a vegetarian diet and treatment preference on biochemical and dietary variables in overweight and obese adults: a randomized clinical trial.
BACKGROUND A vegetarian diet may lead to numerous health benefits , including weight loss . OBJECTIVE We examined the joint effects of personal preference of dietary treatment and a calorie-restricted , low-fat lactoovovegetarian diet ( LOV-D ) compared with a st and ard calorie-restricted , low-fat omnivorous diet ( STD-D ) on changes in weight , total cholesterol , ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol ( LDL : HDL cholesterol ) , triacylglycerols , insulin resistance , and macronutrient intake during an 18-mo study . DESIGN This was a r and omized clinical trial of 176 overweight and obese adults who were recruited and r and omly assigned first to 1 of 2 preference conditions ( yes or no ) . If assigned to Preference-No , they were r and omly assigned to 1 of the 2 diet conditions ( STD-D or LOV-D ) . If assigned to Preference-Yes , they were assigned to the diet they indicated as preferred at screening . The 12-mo intervention was followed by a 6-mo maintenance phase . RESULTS Participants were mainly women ( 86.9 % ) and white ( 70.5 % ) ; 75 % completed the 18-mo study . A significant interaction between preference and dietary treatment was not observed for any of the outcome variables . However , participants in the Preference-No groups significantly decreased their triacylglycerols ( P = 0.04 ) . The only effect observed for diet was a borderline significant decrease in LDL : HDL cholesterol for the LOV-D group ( P = 0.06 ) . Within the LOV-D groups , those who were 100 % adherent to the LOV-D had significant and marginally significant reductions in monounsaturated fat ( P = 0.02 ) and total fat ( P = 0.05 ) intakes at 18 mo . CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that neither prescribing a vegetarian diet nor allowing persons to choose their preferred diet had a significant effect on outcome measures . However , all participants had a significant reduction in total energy and fat intakes and an increase in energy expenditure , which was reflected in reduced body weight . This clinical trial was registered at www . clinical trials.gov as NCT00330629
Greater weight loss was reported in studies with higher baseline weights , smaller proportions of female participants , older participants , or longer duration s , and in studies in which weight loss was a goal .
The prescription of vegetarian diets  reduces mean body weight , suggesting potential value for prevention and management of weight-related conditions
In observational studies , vegetarians generally have lower body weights compared with omnivores .
However , weight changes that occur when vegetarian diets are prescribed have not been well quantified .
We estimated the effect on body weight when vegetarian diets are prescribed .