Research

Energy balance

An energy-reduced diet with moderate protein (approx 20-30%) and increased nonfat dairy (4-5 servings/day) combined with daily walking produces significant weight loss and fat mass reduction in overweight/obese women, with no significant difference in outcomes compared to a standard protein/dairy control diet.

To lose weight and fat, focus on creating an energy deficit through a reduced-calorie diet and regular walking. Adding moderate protein and nonfat dairy is healthy and supports the diet, but it does not provide a significant advantage over a standard calorie-restricted diet. Consistency in calorie reduction and activity is more important than specific macronutrient targets like high protein or extra dairy.

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Healthy premenopausal women with excess adiposity effectively lost BW and fat mass and improved some metabolic risk factors following an ERD with approximately 20% protein and 3 svg/d of nonfat dairy intake.
Julie Shlisky et al. · Food Science & Nutrition · 2015

Why this rating

Randomized comparative trial with 104 participants, 24-week duration, intention-to-treat analysis, though funded by industry.

Source

An energy‐reduced dietary pattern, including moderate protein and increased nonfat dairy intake combined with walking promotes beneficial body composition and metabolic changes in women with excess adiposity: a randomized comparative trial

Julie Shlisky et al. · Food Science & Nutrition · 2015

DOI 10.1002/fsn3.231

rct · n=104Cited 14×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →