Paleolithic Diet May Help Postmenopausal Women Keep Off Weight

During menopause, fat gets redistributed from the peripheral to abdominal areas, which can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A recent study suggests that postmenopausal overweight women who follow a Paleolithic diet may be more able to maintain weight loss in the long term than women who follow other diets.

The Paleolithic diet — also known as the Paleo diet — consists of consuming mainly unprocessed meats and vegetables.

Participants in the study included 70 postmenopausal women with a body mass index (BMI) over 27. The women followed one of two diets: a Paleo diet consisting of 30% of total calories from protein, 30% of total calories from fat, and 40% of total calories from carbohydrates or a control diet following the Nordic Nutrition recommendations, which consisted of 15% of total energy from protein, 25% of total energy from fat, and 55% of total energy from carbohydrate.

At the conclusion of the study, both groups had lost weight. However, the women who followed the Paleo diet dropped on average from 192 lbs to 172 lbs, while the Nordic diet group dropped on average from 189.5 lbs to 176 lbs. The weight loss persisted even after 24 months.

Both groups also had reductions in inflammation in fat tissue and circulation. However, the reduction of specific fatty acids and blood fats was more significant in the Paleo group than in the Nordic group.

Researchers from Umeå University conducted the study. It was published in the university’s publication in 2017