SPONTANEOUS WEIGHT-LOSS DURING 11 WEEKS AD-LIBITUM INTAKE OF A LOW-FAT HIGH-FIBER DIET IN YOUNG, NORMAL-WEIGHT SUBJECTS

OBJECTIVE: During the first 11 weeks of 8 months' ad libitum intake of a low fat/high fiber diet (25.5 energy-% fat, 58.5 energy-% carbohydr ate, 3.9 g dietary fiber/MJ) primarily aimed at investigating the effe ct on blood lipids, spontaneous, unintended body weight changes occurr ed, The objective of the present paper was to elaborate the analyses o n changes in body weight and composition during the 11 weeks' interven tion period. MEASUREMENTS: Dietary intake, body weight and composition . SUBJECTS: Subjects in the intervention (I) (n = 24) and control grou p (C) (n = 24) were normal weight, young, healthy students. RESULTS: I n the intervention group an overall decrease in body weight (-1.3 +/- 0.4 kg) (mean +/- s.e.m.) (P < 0.01) and fat mass (-1.6 +/- 0.2 kg, P < 0.001) occurred. Fat free mass remained unchanged (0.1 +/- 0.3 kg, n .s.). Subjects with the initially lowest level of body fat (n = 10) ga ined fat-free mass (0.6 +/- 0.2 kg) (n.s.) and lost fat mass (-0.9 +/- 0.2) (P < 0.01). In the intervention group initial body weight and fa t mass correlated significantly to change in body weight (r = -0.59, P = 0.003 and r = -0.53, P = 0.008) and fat mass (r = -0.52, P = 0.01, and r = -0.50, P = 0.01), No changes were observed in the control grou p. CONCLUSION: The ad libitum intake of a low fat/high fiber diet lead to a spontaneous loss of body weight and fat mass in young, normal we ight subjects.