People who diet under the supervision of a medical professional have better chances of losing weight than those who adopt a plan of their own, says a new study. A dieting recommendation from scientists at Johns Hopkins University appears simple, but people have sought great help from it in losing weight.

A university press release says that 300 obese people in a federally funded clinical trial sought help from a professional and lost significantly more weight than those who followed diet on their own.

The study recorded answers of participants while rating how helpful their doctors were as they navigated a weight loss program over a two-year period. Findings of the study have been published in the August 21 edition of Patient Education and Counseling.

The study makes it crystal clear that people who trusted their doctors for helping them in losing weight actually lost more weight with ease than those who didn’t.

Here the study implicates that high-quality doctor-patient relationships are important for empathy, communication, trust and collaboration. These factors are very decisive in weight loss among people. Patients having a good relationship with their doctors perhaps pay heed to their advices, attend appointments, and track progress in their health

“The trial supports other evidence that providers are very important in their patients’ weight loss efforts. Incorporating physicians into future programs might lead patients to more successful weight loss”, said Wendy Bennett, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins.

The study could encourage people to seek help from doctors to lose weight.