Human study · Nutrition · 13 Nov 2026
In 10 adults with obesity, a food-based very-low-energy plan was feasible for 8 weeks
Source: Nutrients
What the research found
A single-arm pilot was published on 13 November 2026. 10 adults with obesity, all of whom finished, followed a food-based plan for 8 weeks. The target was about 800 kcal a day, and up to 1000 kcal a day was accepted. The abstract does not give age or sex. People bought and cooked their own food, kept a food diary, and saw a dietitian every two weeks. 9 of 10 (90 percent, 95 percent CI 55.5 to 99.7 percent) lost at least 5 percent of body weight. Mean weight loss was 10.8 percent. Visit attendance was 100 percent (95 percent CI 69.2 to 100 percent). Diary days were 93 percent (standard deviation 13). Mean intake was 842 kcal a day (standard deviation 70). The authors report improvements in anthropometry, blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and dietary quality. Micronutrient and safety labs showed no clinically concerning change. Adverse events were mostly mild to moderate. A pilot with no comparison group. It is not a reason to start this eating pattern alone. DOI 10.3390/nu18223775. Not medical advice.
Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.
More nutrition news
- In 326 older adults, two years of a walnut diet had little effect on body fat
- In 21,734 adults, numbing and spicy foods lined up with lower cardiovascular disease rates
- In 100 Bangkok store workers, night shifts lined up with a less varied diet
- In 8,831 children in Jordan, about one in three had anemia
- In 82 children, a game showed which food items were hard to class by energy density