The Med-South diet incorporates 2 to 6 servings of healthy fats, such as nuts, fish, avocado, vegetable oils, and full-fat dressings, along with at least seven servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Participants were encouraged to include beans and nuts three times a week, eat fish weekly, and consume poultry regularly while limiting sugary drinks, sweets, pastries, and red or processed meats. This dietary program adapted traditional Southern foods like peanuts, peanut butter, collard greens, barbecue, and modified hush puppies.
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In a two-year study, researchers compared the Med-South diet to WeightWatchers and found that both approaches facilitated similar weight loss, with participants losing about 10 pounds on average. However, those following the Med-South diet reported significantly improved diet quality. This research was part of the DELISH (Delicious Eating for Life in Southern Homes) study, which aimed to assess whether a culturally tailored Mediterranean-style diet could promote weight loss and reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
Conducted by researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collaboration with East Carolina, Duke, Harvard, and Simmons Universities, the study's findings were published in JAMA Network Open. It was led by co-Principal Investigators Thomas Keyserling, MD, MPH, and Carmen Samuel-Hodge, PhD, RD, both affiliated with the UNC institutions.
The study involved 360 adults with a body mass index of 30 or higher, recruited from primary care practices in central North Carolina. Participants were randomly assigned to either the Med-South program or the WeightWatchers intervention. The Med-South program included three phases over 24 months: the first concentrated on enhancing diet quality, the second on weight loss while maintaining Med-South eating habits, and the final phase on weight maintenance. Participants in the WeightWatchers group accessed workshops and digital resources throughout the study.
Assessments were conducted at 4, 12, and 24 months, measuring body weight, blood pressure, and diet quality via food intake questionnaires and the Veggie Meter, which gauges carotenoid levels in the skin. After two years, both groups reported weight loss and maintenance, averaging a reduction of 4.5 kg (approximately 10 pounds), with no significant differences between the two in weight loss or blood pressure changes. However, Med-South participants exhibited notably better dietary quality, including higher intake of healthy fats and lower carbohydrate consumption.
Keyserling emphasized that incorporating a nutritious dietary pattern into lifestyle weight loss programs is essential, highlighting the additional chronic disease prevention benefits linked to healthful eating beyond just calorie restriction.