Explore CSIRO

About CSIRO

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is Australia's national science agency and one of the largest and most diverse research agencies in the world.

CSIRO's core areas of impact

Contact Enquiries: Phone - 1300 363 400 | Email - Enquiries@csiro.au | Contact Us

Publication - General

 
 printer friendly view
 
Cover shot of the CSIRO total wellbeing diet book.
CSIRO’s scientifically proven eating plan.

The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet

CSIRO's Total Wellbeing Diet has now been produced as a book - published by Penguin - chock full of delectable recipes for a weight loss program that is successful and provides the nutrients required for health and vitality.

Noakes M, Clifton P. 2005. The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet. Penguin, Australia. 225 pp.

Research at CSIRO's Clinical Research Unit in Adelaide, South Australia, has led to the development of the Total Wellbeing - higher protein, low fat - Diet.

The Total Wellbeing Diet (TWD) has now been produced as a book, with fabulous recipes to help us eat well and stay healthy.

Dr Peter Clifton, Director of the Clinical Research Unit, and Dr Manny Noakes, the Senior Research Dietician, at the CSIRO Human Nutrition in Adelaide, South Australia, are the scientists who identified the need for this research and put together the volunteer program.

The research behind the diet

CSIRO as a leading authority in dietary research, was contacted by many dieticians with concerns about the promotion of high protein diets, without reliable supporting evidence.

CSIRO as a leading authority in dietary research, was contacted by many dieticians with concerns about the promotion of high protein diets, without reliable supporting evidence.

The Clinic had conducted studies over the years with different types and different levels of protein.

The benefits they showed are subtle but are at least as effective as traditional high carbohydrate, low-fat diets.

To investigate further, Clinic researchers studied 100 overweight and obese women on two different diets over a period of 12 weeks. The women were divided into two groups:

  • one group was placed on a high protein, low fat diet,
  • the other group was given a high carbohydrate, low fat diet.

Dr Noake's team had a hypothesis - that if kilojoule intake for each diet was the same then there shouldn't be any difference in weight loss.

But they did see a difference.

More weight and fat was lost by the women on the higher protein diet, particularly if they had high blood fats, called triglycerides.

More dropped out of the high carbohydrate diet, which was a surprise, because they didn't expect the high protein foods to appeal to women as much as the starchy foods.

So the higher-protein diet was more successful because people preferred it!

The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet, rrp A$34.95, is available from CSIRO PUBLISHING and most bookstores.

 
 

Fast facts

  • Over 100 people took part in the trials that underpin the eating plan proposed in the Total Wellbeing Diet (TWD)
  • The book contains over 100 recipes
  • The TWD book tipped out The Da Vinci Code at the top of the bestseller charts in Australia
  • Order The CSIRO total wellbeing diet here from CSIRO PUBLISHING

Contact Information

Primary Contact

CSIRO Enquiries
Phone: 1300 363 400*
Alt Phone: 61 3 9545 2176 
Fax: 61 3 9545 2175 
*local call within Australia