Chinese researchers believe they have discovered a simple “trick” to lose weight: eat raw vegetables

For decades, scientists have discussed the effects of vegan and ovo -vegetarian diets on weight loss and heart disease prevention. Without much success, really. Not because The clues in favor have not accumulatedbut because something was missing. A common link, a thread that organized all that scientific evidence and gave meaning.

In recent years, a team of doctors from the Qilu Hospital of the University of Shandong He thinks he found That piece that was missing.

And it’s an important piece. Above all, because obesity is becoming The great epidemic of the 21st century. 1.9 billion overweight peoplesome 600 million people with obesity and up. Something that would not be a problem if it wasn’t because, like They wrote Yani Xu and his team in their research, “obesity and its associated complications not only lead to an increase in morbidity and mortality, but also to a reduction in quality of life.”

Finding simple weight loss strategies goes beyond aesthetics or fashion: it is an investment in quality of life.

But did not solve Ozempic? It is true that the arrival of Ozempic (and the rest of New agonist medications from LPG-1) has radically changed our way of seeing overweight: as Antonio Ortiz said, these medications are helping us understand that Metabolism and appetite are biological facts, not moral elections. Biological facts that, as we see, bring huge social consequences.

Plan b. Therefore, although the “new ozempics” are being revolutionary, they are far from being the solution to all our problems. Not only is these very expensive medications (and obesity shows a clear correlation with greater rates of poverty and precariousness economic); They are not substitutes for healthier and more balanced habits.

That’s where Yani Xu and his team enter.

In search of lost evidence. Tracking in the previous bibliography, Chinese researchers found 24 studies that followed more than 2,000 people. They were quite quality studies (randomized clinical trials) and that has allowed them to conclude that there was a detail that showed very strong links with a lower risk of obesity and heart problems: raw vegetables.

In fact, this is true even when they eliminated the effect of genetic factors from the equation. Something not too common and, therefore, very interesting. “The vegetarian diet is a viable option for people who wish to control their body weight and (prevent) metabolic diseases,” They explain.

How is it possible? The researchers They shuffle some ideas: From its high content of phytosterols and fatty fats to its role in reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. However, it is not too clear: we have a statistical explanation, but we still lack a mechanism of action. We may have solved one of the big problems when establishing a clear relationship between weight loss and veganism, but not at all.

However, with the data that Let’s have on the tableit seems that the idea of ​​progressively increasing the weight of vegetables (and raw vegetables) seems like a positive strategy. More positive than we thought.

Image | Elena Mozhvilo

In Xataka | Ozempic to lose weight: its effects and risks beyond controversy, according to science

*An earlier version of this article was published in September 2024