http://hnrca.tufts.edu/studyadapt/

I like the idea that they let people self-select what their eating plan is. I know this is typically a big "no no" in RCTs. There was one being run near me in Florida a while back where they wanted to compare blood sugar results on people who were on either a strict low carb diet or a strict low fat diet, with participants randomized into one cohort or the other. On the questionnaire you were asked if you had any strong preference for one diet or the other. If you said that you did you were immediately ineligible to participate!

But of course for any diet, for any reason, adherence is one of the key factors in how well it works. Surely people who have a strong preference for one plan or another are the ones most likely to adhere to it in the long term rather than folks who are just randomly assigned to an eating plan that they don't really feel suits them.

After all, so many of the studies I've read about have said low carb is not a viable lifestyle choice as folks have trouble adhering to it, and yet look at all the folks right here on this site who have been doing it for YEARS.

Surely you can randomize people by age, gender, etc? I'd love to see results of trials where people actually could select an eating plan they most preferred!

An hour later I finished entering all the blogs and books on this woe that I follow and read.

ROFL (text added so this post has enough characters to be acceptable)

Dr Nicola, I assume you have permission from the forum owners to recruit participants for this study? If so, you should acknowledge it. Otherwise you may be infringing on Ethics Review Board guidelines for conducting research.

For example, weight watchers refuses access to their clients. Some forums also refuse access.

That wasn't posted by Dr. Nicola. It was a quote from somewhere else. Unless RawNut is Dr. Nicola.

Indeed, I am not Dr. Nicola McKeown. I just posted it because it's an interesting study design and I thought some here might want to participate.