Dietary Approaches to the Treatment of Obesity

Popular dietary approaches for weight loss have generated widespread interest and considerable debate. This article describes various dietary approaches to weight loss: low-, very low-, and moderate-fat diets, high-protein diets, low-carbohydrate diets, and low glycemic index diets. Descriptions of each dietary strategy are followed by a review of short- and long-term efficacy data from studies published between 2005 and 2011.