A vegetarian diet may be the key to effective weight loss, a new study has found. Published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, the research looked at the effectiveness of a vegetarian diet in comparison to a conventional diabetic diet in overweight men and women with type 2 diabetes. Researchers found those who followed a vegetarian diet lost about twice as much weight as those following a standard diet, with the meat-free dieters losing a total of 6.2kg over a six-month period, versus 3.2kg in those following the conventional diet. Subfascial fat (fat just under the connective tissues) was only reduced in those who followed a vegetarian diet, however this group did also see a loss in muscle mass. The veggie group, though, were more committed to the diet, with high adherence in 55% of the participants, in comparison to only 32% high adherence in those following the conventional diet.