Professionally run obesity interventions that include a dietary aspect can lead to mild improvement in symptoms of depression and anxiety in young people, Australian research shows.

A systematic review and meta-analysis covering 44 studies on paediatric obesity treatment found a small effect on mental health associated with guided interventions.

The review, led by the Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School of the University of Sydney, followed controversy over a trial among teenagers with obesity that included fasting.

Earlier this year, the trial researchers were forced to defend the use of fasting when a Change.org petition, attracting almost 20,000 signatures, called for it to be scrapped because it was “starving” children.