Research

Adherence

Weight loss maintenance interventions for men are currently insufficiently supported by high-quality evidence, with most studies showing high risk of bias and no maintenance studies meeting low risk criteria.

While initial weight loss programs for men can be effective, there is currently very little high-quality evidence to guide how men should maintain that weight loss long-term. Be cautious of programs claiming specific maintenance protocols without robust scientific backing.

LimitedQualifiesLOW confidence
Study quality was mostly poor for weight loss studies (median = 3/10, range = 1–9) and weight loss maintenance studies (median = 3.5/10, range = 1–6)... Preliminary evidence suggests men-only weight loss programmes may effectively engage and assist men with weight loss. However, more high-quality studies are urgently needed to improve the evidence base, particularly for maintenance studies.
Myles D. Young et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2011

Why this rating

The paper explicitly states that quality was 'mostly poor' and 'more high-quality studies are urgently needed'.

Source

Effectiveness of male‐only weight loss and weight loss maintenance interventions: a systematic review with meta‐analysis

Myles D. Young et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2011

DOI 10.1111/j.1467-789x.2011.00967.x

Meta-analysis · 23 studiesCited 147×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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