During menopause women commonly gain weight, in particular around the waist. This abdominal obesity is a risk factor for diabetes and heart disease. The aim of this randomised trial in Poland was to compare the effectiveness of two energy-restricted diets on weight loss and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in post-menopausal women with abdominal obesity and at least one other marker for MetS. The diets used were the Mediterranean diet (MED), which is moderate in fat, in particular mono-unsaturated fat, and the so-called Central European diet (CED), which is low in fat, moderate in carbohydrates, and high in dietary fiber (DF) derived from central European food items. Participants were counselled on their respective diet plans and provided with one prepared main meal per day and followed their diet for 16 weeks. Both groups had a significant weight loss (7.5kg MED, 7.7kg CED), reductions in waist circumference (7.4cm both), fat mass and abdominal fat. Both groups also had significant improvements in blood sugar control, blood pressure, homocysteine and triglycerides but not in LDL and HDL cholesterol. There were no significant differences between groups for any of the outcomes. Adherence to the respective diets decreased over the course of the study for both the MED and the CED and weight loss was highest for those who adhered best to the respective diet. The authors concluded that short-term dietary treatment using the CED or the MED was associated with similar improvements in weight and markers of MetS.