Vegetarian diets are almost twice as effective at helping you lose weight a study has found.

Published online by the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, researchers discovered those on a vegetarian diet lost weight more effectively than those just on a low-calorie diet.

After studying 74 individuals who all had type 2 diabetes, those who followed the vegetarian diet lost an average of 6.2 kilograms across the course of the study.

Those on the low-calorie, non-vegetarian diet only lost an average of 3.2 kilograms each.

Both diets required participants eat 500 kilocalories a day less than they normally would. The only animal product the vegetarian diet allowed for was one low-fat tub of yoghurt per day.

The study further found the vegetarian diet was more effective at reducing muscle fat and increasing metabolism.

Researcher, Dr Hana Kahleova, said this finding was particularly important for those with type 2 diabetes as an increase in metabolism could possibly equal an increase in glucose metabolism.

“Vegetarian diets proved to be the most effective diets for weight loss,” Dr Kahleova said.

“However, we also showed that a vegetarian diet is much more effective at reducing muscle fat, thus improving metabolism. This finding is important for people who are trying to lose weight, including those suffering from metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes. But it is also relevant to anyone who takes their weight management seriously and wants to stay lean and healthy,” she said.

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