Research
Energy balance
Adding a Very Low-Calorie Diet (VLCD) to a Weight-Management Programme (WMP) is not cost-effective compared to a WMP alone, despite producing greater short-term weight loss.
For those with severe obesity, adding a Very Low-Calorie Diet to a standard weight management program provides more weight loss in the first year but is not considered cost-effective. Standard WMPs are a more economically sound approach.
GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
Adding a VLCD to a WMP gave an additional mean weight change of –4.41 kg (95% CI –5.93 to –2.88 kg) at 12 months. ... The addition of a VLCD to a WMP was not cost-effective compared with a WMP alone.
Why this rating
Based on systematic review and economic modeling.
Source
Bariatric surgery, lifestyle interventions and orlistat for severe obesity: the REBALANCE mixed-methods systematic review and economic evaluation
Alison Avenell et al. · Health Technology Assessment · 2018
DOI 10.3310/hta22680
Meta-analysis · 131 studiesCited 100×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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