Fad diets?

The Zone diet was created in the mid-1990s by Dr. Barry Sears, a US-based biochemist.

It has been classified as a fad diet due to its premise that a strict ratio of protein, fat and carbs is required for optimal weight loss and overall health.

This eating plan specifies that your calorie intake should be made up of 30% lean protein, 30% healthy fat and 40% high-fiber carbs. In addition, these foods are to be consumed as a prescribed number of “blocks” at meals and snacks.

One of the ways the Zone diet is proposed to work is by reducing inflammation, which allows you to lose weight more easily.

Studies to date suggest the Zone diet can be effective for losing weight and reducing blood sugar, insulin resistance and inflammation (23, 24, 25).

In a controlled, six-week study of overweight adults, those who ate the Zone diet lost more weight and body fat than the low-fat group. They also reported a 44% reduction in fatigue, on average (24).

In another study, 33 people followed one of four different diets. The Zone diet was shown to help participants lose the most fat, and to increase the ratio of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids (25).

You can learn more about the Zone diet by reading this article.