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Newsy Stuff Health and Nutrition Stuff The science behind weight loss: separating facts from fiction
Newsy Stuff Health and Nutrition Stuff The science behind weight loss: separating facts from fiction
| The science behind weight loss: separating facts from fiction |
| Thursday, 01 December 2011 | |||
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Let’s start with a few facts. Australians' waistbands have increased over the past three decades, with recent data showing 68% of men, 55% of women and 25% of children are overweight or obese. Excess body fat is a problem for the individual. And it’s ultimately a problem for society because it overloads the national health budget. Health problems due to excess body fat include an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma, sleep apnoea, musculoskeletal conditions (including osteoarthritis) and certain types of cancer (especially colorectal and breast cancer in post-menopausal women). There is good evidence to show genes play a role in obesity and explain why some people gain more weight than others when their energy intake exceeds their body’s needs. But genetic factors can’t explain the rapid increase in excess body fat over the past 20 to 30 years. So what has changed? Two obvious factors stand out. Physical activity has decreased as we have embraced labour-saving devices and sedentary behaviours. Changes in urban design and the use of cars for transport also play major roles. An increased reliance on cars means we're not getting enough incidental exercise. What we eat and drink has also changed. We eat more. We snack more often. We quench our thirst with sweetened beverages. Portion sizes for drinks, meals and snacks have all increased and foods and drinks that were once kept for special occasions are now daily “treats”. In spite of calculations showing that our increased food intake and decreased exercise output have increased our national girth, we continue to ignore such obvious factors. Instead we look for a magic bullet cure-all, with diets high on the list of possible saviours. The need to consume less is generally an unwelcome message to individuals and to the corporate world, where the “economy” we worship depends on continued increases in consumption. Anything that might decrease consumption of any food or drink is strenuously opposed by those whose profits depend on market growth. Diets and diet products are also money spinners. Diet books that target a specific scapegoat are also supported by companies who cash in with new product formulations to fit. Diet books make endless promises about easy ways to lose weight. Flickr/coconut wireless When health authorities suggested cutting kilojoules by eating less fat in the 80s and 90s, the food industry responded with literally hundreds of low-fat products, which replaced fat with sugars and refined starches. When this move failed and was replaced by a low carb craze in the 2000s, a flood of low carb products followed. Some diets proudly proclaim you can eat as much butter and cream as you like, but then forbid almost everything you might have with these items. But there’s a limit to the number of fatty chops topped with butter that most people could eat. Many people also like the rigidity of a diet’s rules – at least for a few weeks. After that, the rules are gradually broken. We saw this with the CSIRO’s diets. After 12 months, those on low protein diets increased their protein intake to normal levels, while those on high protein diets reduced their protein intake. Long term, no diet has proved effective. After the initial weight loss, most people on any diet regain most of what they lost. There’s no mystery to this..... The Conversation: Read more
Part Two: Want to set up a weight loss scam? Here’s how…
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The science behind weight loss
