A new study published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism highlights how low-calorie diets trigger different metabolic responses in women versus men. In a trial involving over 2,000 overweight patients with prediabetes on an 8-week low-calorie regimen, men lost significantly more body weight. They also saw greater improvements in metabolic syndrome score (a key diabetes marker), fat mass, and heart rate. Women, however, experienced larger reductions in HDL cholesterol, hip circumference, lean body mass, and pulse pressure.
“Even after accounting for weight loss differences, men seem to gain more from this intervention than women. Tracking whether these gender disparities hold long-term—and if gender-specific strategies are needed—will be fascinating,” noted the lead author. “Still, this 8-week low-energy diet helped prediabetic participants shed the initial 10% body weight crucial for meaningful metabolic gains in diabetes prevention’s first phase.”
