Accomplishing desired fitness or health outcomes is a long and hard journey. Whether we want to improve our body composition or achieve our body goal, our approach may differ from one another.
Several factors have been known to influence the outcome of our body composition. These include genetic predisposition, age, sex, and physical activity level, all affecting how the body responds and adapts to different lifestyle choices.
Among these, diet is one of the most impactful and modifiable factors. The type of dietary approach a person practises can significantly shape their body composition. This blog post summarizes how some of the different dietary practices have been clinically proven to potentially impact body composition.
Diet & Body Composition
A diet refers to the types and amounts of food a person regularly consumes every day. Various diets have been proven or disproven to influence our body composition over time. With so much information out there, it’s no surprise that people struggle to find the most effective dietary approach for their needs. On the other hand, body composition is the breakdown of fat mass and fat-free mass, like protein, water, and minerals, that together make up our total body weight.
With the issue of obesity and sarcopenia (low muscle mass) on the rise in Malaysia, understanding how a diet can influence our body composition could be the key to long-term health.
Different Diets & How They Influence Body Composition Outcomes
Ketogenic Diet (Low-Carb Diet)
The ketogenic diet (keto) is a high-fat and very low-carbohydrate diet designed for the body to burn fat for energy instead of carbs. The keto diet typically includes healthy fats such as plant oils, full-fat dairy, eggs, nuts, and avocados, while restricting starchy foods, low-fat products, grains, and sugary treats.
In a clinical trial involving men who followed a keto diet combined with resistance training for 8 weeks, study participants showed a significant reduction in body fat mass and visceral fat, while being able to preserve their muscle mass.
This suggests that the keto diet, when paired with exercise, can be a powerful approach to improve body composition by reducing fat while preserving lean muscle.
However, individuals following a keto diet should carefully plan their macronutrient distribution, ensuring they get enough fat for energy and sufficient protein to preserve muscle. Extremely low carbohydrate intake can sometimes lead to fatigue, brain fog, or reduced performance, especially during high-intensity workouts or in the early stages of adaptation.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting (IF) is a diet approach that alternates an eating phase and a fasting phase in a day. A clinical trial in overweight and obese adults found that intermittent fasting is as effective as daily calorie restriction for reducing weight and body fat. This highlights intermittent fasting as a proven and flexible alternative to other calorie restriction methods.
In another clinical trial that combined intermittent fasting intervention (dry fasting of the 5:2 method) along with the dietary practise of Malaysian Healthy Plate, significant improvements were observed in body composition outcomes after just 3 months compared to baseline, with even better results after 6 months. Improvements include significant reductions in weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, body fat mass, and visceral fat area.
While there was a slight decrease in skeletal muscle mass, it was not statistically significant, which also indicates that it may not be effective in preserving muscle mass after a long period. Overall, a combination of practising Intermittent fasting and the Malaysian Healthy Plate may be an effective approach for improving overall body fat in a relatively short amount of time.
Vegetarian Diet
Next is the vegetarian diet, a diet that excludes all or certain animal products or byproducts. It has been commonly practiced in Malaysia for various reasons. This includes ethical, environmental, and health concerns.
A study has shown that a vegan diet is effective in reducing body fat. In a 16-week randomized controlled trial of vegan diet intervention done among overweight individuals, the vegan diet has been proven to reduce body weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat mass, and visceral adipose tissue volume significantly.
These results confirm that a vegan or plant-based diet can effectively improve body composition through body fat reduction primarily.
However, strict vegan diets may negatively affect bone density and protein intake if not properly planned. Without sufficient calcium and vitamin D, bone health may deteriorate over time. It’s essential for vegetarians to ensure variety and adequate protein intake to support both muscle maintenance and bone health.
Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes a high intake of fruits, vegetables, olive oil, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and moderate consumption of fish and dairy with limited red meat and processed foods.
One study confirmed that a combined calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet and physical activity leads to a reduction in body fat percentage and visceral fat and an increase in total lean mass after just 1 year. The intervention has shown an improvement of 5% or more in both lean mass and body fat mass compared to baseline.
A cross-sectional study further supports these findings, providing results that individuals with high adherence to the Mediterranean diet had lower levels of both subcutaneous and visceral fat compared to those with low adherence.
Interestingly, no significant differences were observed in lean mass or fat-free mass between groups with high and low adherence, indicating that the Mediterranean diet may be effective to preserve muscle mass and influence fat reductions.
How InBody Can Help Tailor Your Nutritional Needs
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Provide Detailed Body Composition Insights
InBody analysis includes metrics such as skeletal muscle mass, body fat mass, body fat percentage, segmental lean analysis, visceral fat area, and basal metabolic rate (BMR), which are essential in planning a personalized and effective meal plan. This will provide you with clear guidance on what dietary approach would be suitable for you.
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Assess Nutritional Status Objectively
InBody analysis helps identify signs of malnutrition or imbalances in muscle and fat levels. For example, low skeletal muscle mass or low body fat percentage may indicate malnutrition or inadequate nutrient intake, while high visceral fat levels may suggest excessive caloric intake and risk of metabolic disorders. A new parameter, Phase Angle (PhA), is now also available across all InBody models, serving as a key indicator of a person’s cell membrane integrity and overall cellular health. A higher Phase Angle reflects a healthy cell and good nutritional status, whereas a low Phase Angle indicates a sign of poor cellular health due to malnutrition or aging.
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Guidance for Meal Planning
By understanding your body composition, nutritionists or individuals can tailor calorie intake and macronutrient distribution to support specific goals like weight loss, muscle gain, or muscle maintenance. This data-driven approach ensures that the meal plan aligns with the body’s actual needs, promoting healthier outcomes and more efficient progress.
Conclusion
In summary, different dietary approaches show different levels of effectiveness in improving body composition. A combined ketogenic diet with resistance training is effective in reducing body fat mass and preserving muscle mass. Intermittent fasting, especially when combined with the Healthy Plate, appears to produce greater improvements in fat reduction. Vegetarians may reduce fat mass and improve body composition, though they require careful planning to avoid nutritional deficiencies. The Mediterranean diet, when combined with physical activity, supports fat loss but may not be effective in increasing muscle mass.
Overall, combining dietary strategies with lifestyle factors like exercise offers the most effective results for improving body composition. It is also important to align dietary choices with individual health goals, taking into account factors such as food availability, cultural background, and the ability to sustain over time. Besides that, by integrating InBody analysis into nutritional practice, individuals can tailor their dietary strategies more effectively, using detailed body composition insights to support sustainable and personalized health outcomes.
