Clinical Evidence

The olive oil-supplemented Mediterranean group lost the most weight among the Mediterranean groups in the Lancet trial. The Mediterranean groups outperformed the control group in the Lancet trial. A one-year study compared low-carbohydrate Mediterranean, traditional Mediterranean, and ADA-recommended diets. In the Lancet trial, participants were assigned to Mediterranean diets supplemented with olive oil or nuts, or to a control diet. ECT has never been subjected to a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. There is no rigorous scientific evidence that ECT works. A 2008 Obesity Reviews analysis concluded evidence was insufficient to determine whether the Mediterranean diet causes weight loss or reduced obesity likelihood. A five-year Lancet trial enrolled 7,400 adults with type 2 diabetes or established cardiovascular disease. The prevailing theory holds that ECT treats depression by inducing temporary amnesia, causing patients to forget they had depression rather than resolving it therapeutically.