New rsesearch shows that a low-fat vegan diet significantly reduces harmful advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) by 73%, compared to no reduction with a Mediterranean diet, and is associated with notable weight loss. The study highlights the vegan diet’s effectiveness in cutting down AGEs primarily by eliminating meat and reducing the intake of added fats and dairy products, challenging the efficacy of the Mediterranean diet in weight management and reduction of dietary AGEs. New research published in Frontiers in Nutrition by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine reveals that a low-fat vegan diet can reduce harmful inflammatory compounds known as advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) by 73%.
In contrast, no reduction in AGEs was observed with a Mediterranean diet. Additionally, participants on the vegan diet experienced an average weight loss of 13 pounds, while those on the Mediterranean diet saw no change in weight. The reduction of dietary AGEs on the low-fat vegan diet came mainly from excluding the consumption of meat (41%), minimizing the consumption of added fats (27%), and avoiding dairy products (14%).
“The study helps bust the myth that a Mediterranean diet is best for weight loss,” says lead study author Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. “Choosing a low-fat vegan diet that avoids the dairy and oil so common in the Mediterranean diet helps reduce intake of harmful advan.