What is METHOD?
We aimed to test how effective the ZOE personalised dietary program was compared with standard care dietary advice. In an 18-week study, we compared the effect of two dietary treatments on many markers of health, including blood lipids, body composition, and more. We found that ZOE’s personalised approach was more effective, especially with highly adherent participants.
What is the question ZOE was trying to answer with METHOD?
We set out to understand whether a personalised diet programme can improve key markers of health associated with diet-related chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, compared to following standard dietary advice from the government guidelines.
What are the key results from METHOD?
Our scientific abstract describes the following results from members following the ZOE program:
A change in our ‘primary outcomes’ of health - which is what we use as clinical red flags to help with disease prevention. Blood fat levels called triglyceride (TG) significantly improve.
Changes in body weight towards a healthier weight, reduced waist circumference which is a measure of body fat distribution associated with heart disease, and gut microbiome diversity as a marker of gut health.
People who closely followed the advice, known as highly adherent participants, see greater improvements in several health outcomes compared with those that engaged less with the app and the advice.
So, what advice do we have for our members following the METHOD results?
Make ZOE a way of life
We know that those who were more adherent to ZOE saw better results in METHOD. So, we want to encourage our members to make ZOE a way of life – building daily, sustainable habits – rather than a short-term approach.
By following ZOE’s advice in the app and aiming for a daily score of 75+, you too could experience meaningful benefits to your health and, ultimately, be healthier (in contrast to following standard dietary advice).
How did you measure adherence?
Adherence to ZOE was classified based on the ‘mean personalised diet score’ throughout the study duration.
Data was split into three groups to define low, moderate, and high adherence.
Could you put the findings on ZOE’s impact in context of other products/ lifestyle changes that have been measured to date?
Well, no other lifestyle products have been tested to the same rigour as ZOE. In fact, nutrition research is generally lacking when it comes to whole-diet approaches to health. Most studies focus on the impact of single nutrients or specific foods, tested under tightly controlled clinical settings. Our bigger scale, more generalised (and public-facing) RCT does what other products are yet to do: prove that ZOE as a way of life works.