RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a diet based on dietary advice in treating obesity. DESIGN: Random clinical investigation of two groups of obese people. SETTING: Two health centres in the city of Huelva. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We randomly assigned two types of diet, one consisting of dietary advice (A) and the other consisting of low calorie daily menus (B). These were followed for a period of 2 months. At the end of the period we administered a questionnaire on the difficulties in adhering to the diet. 88.4% of those on diet A lost weight, compared with 55.5% of those on diet B (p < 0.025). There were mean decreases in cholesterol and triglyceride levels with diet A of 12.37 +/- 12 and 22.1 +/- 18 mg/dl respectively. In the case of diet B, there were increases of these levels of 8.4 +/- 13 and 2.09 +/- 14 mg/dl respectively (p < 0.05). Of those who followed diet A, 16.7% said they experienced difficulty in keeping to it, while 45.4% of those on diet B said they experienced such difficulty (p < 0.025). Altogether, 29.16% of those who followed diet B (p < 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: With the diet based on nutritional advice a larger number of the subjects lost weight, felt less hungry hunger; this diet is easier to keep to, and produces a significant decrease in cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
