The Most Effective Weight Loss Programs Have This Is Common, Study Shows
Key takeaways
- Amid all the noise, the one question that keeps coming up, is it better to focus on diet, exercise, or both?
- This analysis was an overview of systematic reviews, meaning researchers didn’t run a single new trial.
- The focus was on people with overweight or obesity, across adults, children, and older adults, and included outcomes related to:
Why this matters: practical guidance grounded in recent research or expert insight.
Author: Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDNMay 16, 2026Registered Dietitian Nutritionist By Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDNRegistered Dietitian Nutritionist Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN is a Registered Dietician Nutritionist with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Texas Christian University and a master’s in nutrition interventions, communication, and behavior change from Tufts University. She lives in Newport Beach, California, and enjoys connecting people to the food they eat and how it influences health and wellbeing.Image by Clique Images / StocksyMay 16, 2026When it comes to weight loss, there's no shortage of advice, whether that's to cut carbs (maybe, but not all carbs!), try intermittent fasting (this definitely isn't for everyone), walk 10,000 steps a day (research shows it's actually less). Amid all the noise, the one question that keeps coming up, is it better to focus on diet, exercise, or both? A recent overview of research1 offers a bit more clarity. This is what you need to know.
This analysis was an overview of systematic reviews, meaning researchers didn’t run a single new trial. Instead, they synthesized findings from 32 systematic reviews (including 19 meta-analyses), which themselves included numerous randomized controlled trials.
The focus was on people with overweight or obesity, across adults, children, and older adults, and included outcomes related to: