Effect of Non-starchy Vegetable Consumption on Weight Status in an Overweight and Obese University Population

Background Obesity is a growing public health problem in both developing and developed countries. Negative health-related outcomes such as type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and certain cancers are linked with being overweight and obesity. Fruits and vegetables provide a protective effect against non-communicable diseases, though there is a lack of data regarding the effect of consuming non-starchy vegetables on weight status and related anthropometric parameters. Aims The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the daily recommended intake of non-starchy vegetables on weight status including body mass index (BMI), fat mass (percent body fat (PBF) and visceral fat (VF)), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in an overweight and obese university population. Methods This was a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT), and it was conducted at a public sector university in Lahore, Pakistan. Data were collected from an overweight and obese university population (including students and teaching and non-teaching staff) with a BMI ≥ 23kg/m². A total of 40 participants (20 participants in the control group and 20 participants in the interventional group) were included. The interventional group was provided with 2-3 cups (250 g) of WHO-recommended non-starchy vegetables, while the control group was only provided with dietary recommendations for vegetable intake. Each individual's weight, BMI, PBF, VF, and WHR were assessed before and after the trial by using Inbody270 (Inbody Japan Inc., Tokyo, Japan), which works on the principle of bioelectrical impedance analysis. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, US) was used to examine the data. Paired and independent t-tests were used to compare changes within and between groups, respectively. Results A total of 40 participants were included in the study. Among those, 13 (32.5%) were male, and nearly two-thirds (27 (67.5%)) were female. In the control group, there was a slight increase in weight, BMI, and PBF after the consumption of vegetables, but a slight decrease in VF, though the results were not significant. In the intervention group, there was a significant reduction in PBF (t = 2.36, p = 0.029) and VF (t = 4.19, p < 0.001) after intervention, suggesting a significant improvement in these body composition parameters. The intervention group had a greater PBF (45.3 ± 4.40) before the intervention than the control group (39.4 ± 8.41), with a mean difference of 5.83 (t = 2.745, p= 0.009), and greater VF levels (17.15 ± 3.73) than the control group (14.6 ± 4.14), with a mean difference of 2.55 (t = 2.044, p = 0.048). Conclusion Our study concludes that there was a subtle improvement in parameters such as body weight, BMI, PBF, VF, and WHR of the intervention group at the end of the trial, whereas the control group's participants showed an increase in these parameters except VF, which remained constant at the beginning and the end of the trial.