The SWITCH Dietary and Behavioural Intervention Study

Launched by CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY · May 14, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The SWITCH Dietary and Behavioural Intervention Study is a research project aimed at understanding how different types of dietary support can improve health and well-being. The study will involve 300 participants, both men and women, aged 18 to 70 years, who have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 35, which indicates being overweight. To join, individuals must be stable in their eating habits and willing to follow a specific diet, which includes receiving key foods. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: one that gets comprehensive support with food and guidance, another that only receives support and advice, and a control group that follows basic dietary guidelines.

Throughout the 12-week study, participants will have regular health check-ups to measure things like blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels. They will also receive personalized coaching, meal plans, and educational materials to help them succeed. The ultimate goal is to see which type of dietary intervention works best in improving health markers and supporting sustainable eating habits. This research is important because it aims to provide insights that can lead to better dietary recommendations for everyone, especially in Nordic countries.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Age 18-70 years
• • Body mass index 25-35 kg/m2
• • Stable dietary patterns at the entry to the study (no specific dieting the last 4 weeks).
• • Willingness to adhere to advised diet pattern and to consume provided key foods.
• • Medications stable for the previous 14 days of relevant medicines
• • Access to a -18⁰ C freezer to store key foods at home.
• • Signed informed consent
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Currently having an infection or other relevant illness.
• • Cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction or stroke) during the previous 6 months. To be included, the disease needs to be stable.
• • Diagnosis of diabetes (any type).
• • Blood Pressure (BP): ≥185/105 mmHg.
• • Serum Cholesterol (S-Chol): ≥8 mmol/L.
• • Blood Glucose (B-Glucose): fasting value \>7 mmol/L.
• • Currently on GLP-1 receptor agonists.
• • History of stomach or gastrointestinal diagnoses (inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, hepatitis, malabsorption, celiac disease etc.).
• • IBS- if severe and recent (\<0.5year)?
• • Previous colostomy, bowel resection, bariatric surgery or other major gastrointestinal surgery.
• • Renal or liver failure (creatinine \<1.7 mg/dl and alanine aminotransferase/ aspartate aminotransferase \> 2 times than normal values (ASAT, ALAT), respectively).
• • Anemia or Hemoglobin (Hb): \<100 g/L
• • Blood donation (or participation in a clinical study with blood sampling) within 30 days prior to inclusion
• • Currently on a specific diet.
• • A diet incompatible with protocol diets such as strict vegan/vegetarian.
• • Food allergies or intolerances to food items included in the intervention.
• • High level of regular physical activity at baseline - scale 4 on SG-PALS.
• • History of drug or alcohol abuse.
• • Not able to understand written or spoken Swedish.
• • Any other reason for lack of suitability for participation in the trial, as judged by the principal investor and/ or the clinical investigator.
• • Pregnant or lactating or planning to become pregnant during the study period.
• • Involved in another potentially interfering research study.