Micronutrient quality of weight-loss diets that focus on macronutrients: results from the A TO Z study
Open accessAbstract
Background Information on the micronutrient quality of alternative weight-loss diets is limited, despite the significant public health relevance.Objective Micronutrient intake was compared between overweight or obese women randomly assigned to 4 popular diets that varied primarily in macronutrient distribution.Design Dietary data were collected from women in the Atkins (n = 73), Zone (n = 73), LEARN (Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitudes, Relationships, Nutrition) (n = 73), and Ornish (n = 72) diet groups by using 3-d, unannounced 24-h recalls at baseline and after 8 wk of instruction. Nutrient intakes were compared between groups at 8 wk and within groups for 8-wk changes in risk of micronutrient inadequacy.Results At 8 wk, significant differences were observed between groups for all macronutrients and for many micronutrients (P < 0.0001). Energy intake decreased from baseline in all 4 groups but was similar between groups. At 8 wk, a significant proportion of individuals shifted to intakes associated with risk of inadequacy (P < 0.05) in the Atkins group for thiamine, folic acid, vitamin C, iron, and magnesium; in the LEARN group for vitamin E, thiamine, and magnesium; and in the Ornish group for vitamins E and B-12 and zinc. In contrast, for the Zone group, the risk of inadequacy significantly decreased for vitamins A, E, K, and C (P < 0.05), and no significant increases in risk of inadequacy were observed for other micronutrients.Conclusions Weight-loss diets that focus on macronutrient composition should attend to the overall quality of the diet, including the adequacy of micronutrient intakes. Concerning calorie-restricted diets, there may be a micronutrient advantage to diets providing moderately low carbohydrate amounts and that contain nutrient-dense foods.
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Diets other than nutritionally complete formula diets could incur vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
“Diets other than nutritionally complete formula diets could incur vitamin and mineral deficiencies [75].”
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- Authors
- Gardner, C. D., Kim, S., Bersamin, A., Dopler-Nelson, M., Otten, J., Oelrich, B., & Cherin, R.
- Affiliations
- Stanford Medicine (US)
- Venue
- The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2010-08
- Volume
- 92
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 304-312
- ISSN
- 0002-9165 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2904033
- OpenAlex
- W1988547605
- Cited by
- 107
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 5.07
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (RR-00070)
- National Center for Research Resources (M-01 RR 00070, M01RR000070)
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (R21AT1098, R21AT001098)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Diet and metabolism studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Dietary Effects on Health
- Keywords
- micronutrient adequacy, weight loss diet, macronutrient composition, Atkins diet, Zone diet, overweight women, obese women, micronutrient inadequacy, thiamine, vitamin E, vitamin C, iron, magnesium, low-carbohydrate diet, caloric restriction, diet quality
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Avitaminosis, Energy Intake, Deficiency Diseases, Diet, Reducing, Female, Humans, Magnesium Deficiency, Middle Aged, Risk Factors, Anemia, Iron-Deficiency, Micronutrients
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