Objective: To determine the effect of low glycaemic index diet on weight loss among obese post-partum women..
Methods: This randomised controlled trial study was conducted at the National Hospital and Medical Centre, and Services Hospital, Lahore, from April to June 2015, and comprised obese post-partum women. Subjects in the intervention group were assigned low glycaemic index diet for 12 weeks while the control group was advised to continue routine diet. SPSS 22 was used for data analysis.
Results: Of the 74 participants, 38(51.4%) were in the interventional group and 36(48.6%) in the control group. The low glycaemic index diet had a significant effect on weight reduction in the intervention group compared to the control group (83.6±0.75 vs. 89.1±2) (p=0.02). Low glycaemic diet also had a positive impact on body mass index (p=0.02), body fat percentage (p=0.03) and fat mass (p=0.02). Significant changes were found in the intervention group after 12 weeks in terms of body mass index, body fat percentage, and fat mass, fat-free mass and muscle mass. On the other hand, no changes were established in the control group after 12 weeks of the study period..
Conclusions: Low glycaemic index diet was effective for reducing weight among obese post-partum women.
Keywords: Low glycaemic index diet, Post-partum obesity, Weight loss, Body mass index..