Diet Alone Unlikely to Lead to
Significant Weight Loss
Significant Weight Loss
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It's not only how but also when that is important when
following a weight reduction or fitness program.
Study says eating a big breakfast helps in weight loss.
The Best Abdominal Exercises
Researchers look at the top 13 exercises for great abs.
Watch What You Eat
If you're serious about losing weight, you've got to watch
what you eat.
Calculating Your Ideal Body Weight
Do you have an ideal body weight? Find out using this
simple calculator.
The Best Time to Exercise
It's not only how but also when that is important when
following a weight reduction or fitness program.
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Excess Body Fat Causes Cancer
Brain Chemical Blocks Weight Gain
Weight Maintenance Helps Prevent Cancer
Large Waist Triples Risk of Dementia
A New Way to Combat Weight Gain
'Most Effective Weight Loss Diet'
New Hope for Prostate Cancer Victims
The Power of Juice
Daytime Dozing Linked to High Stroke Risk
This Diet Reduces Risk of Memory Problems
Naps Are Good for Your Heart
Build Stronger Bones
Top 10 Nutrition Myths Debunked
For Complete List of Stories, Click Here
It was stated in an earlier story that the key to successful weight loss is to achieve
an energy balance between calories consumed and calories used. (See Watch
What You Eat ).
Many people reading that mistakenly conclude that all they have to do to lose
weight is to cut down on calories. While cutting down on calories helps, it alone
cannot do the job.
The latest research bears this out.
Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University say that simply reducing caloric
intake is not enough to achieve significant weight loss.
They said this appeared to be due to a natural compensatory mechanism that
reduces a person’s physical activity in response to a reduction in calories.
Physicians frequently advise their patients to reduce the number of calories they
are consuming on a daily basis.
But Judy Cameron., a senior scientist at OHSU’s Oregon National Primate
Research Center, says “the research shows that simply dieting will not likely
cause substantial weight loss. Instead, diet and exercise must be combined to
achieve this goal.”
In carrying out the research, Cameron and OHSU post-doctoral fellow Elinor
Sullivan, Ph.D., studied 18 female rhesus macaque monkeys at the Oregon
National Primate Research Center.
The monkeys were placed on a high-fat diet for several years. They were then
returned to a lower-fat diet (standard monkey food) with a 30 percent reduction in
calories.
For a one-month period, the monkeys’ weight and activity levels were closely
tracked. Activity was tracked through the use of an activity monitor worn on a collar.
Surprisingly, the scientists found that there was no significant weight loss at the
end of the month.
However, Sullivan said there was a significant change in the activity levels for
these monkeys.
“Naturally occurring levels of physical activity for the animals began to diminish
soon after the reduced-calorie diet began. When caloric intake was further
reduced in a second month, physical activity in the monkeys diminished even
further,” Sullivan said.
A comparison group of three monkeys was fed a normal monkey diet and was
trained to exercise for one hour daily on a treadmill. This comparison group did
lose weight.
Cameron said the study demonstrated that there is a natural body mechanism
which conserves energy in response to a reduction in calories.
“Food is not always plentiful for humans and animals and the body seems to
have developed a strategy for responding to these fluctuations,” said Cameron.
“These findings will assist medical professionals in advising their patients. It may
also impact the development of community interventions to battle the childhood
obesity epidemic and lead to programs that emphasize both diet and exercise,”
she added.
The research appears in the American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory,
Integrative and Comparative Physiology.
an energy balance between calories consumed and calories used. (See Watch
What You Eat ).
Many people reading that mistakenly conclude that all they have to do to lose
weight is to cut down on calories. While cutting down on calories helps, it alone
cannot do the job.
The latest research bears this out.
Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University say that simply reducing caloric
intake is not enough to achieve significant weight loss.
They said this appeared to be due to a natural compensatory mechanism that
reduces a person’s physical activity in response to a reduction in calories.
Physicians frequently advise their patients to reduce the number of calories they
are consuming on a daily basis.
But Judy Cameron., a senior scientist at OHSU’s Oregon National Primate
Research Center, says “the research shows that simply dieting will not likely
cause substantial weight loss. Instead, diet and exercise must be combined to
achieve this goal.”
In carrying out the research, Cameron and OHSU post-doctoral fellow Elinor
Sullivan, Ph.D., studied 18 female rhesus macaque monkeys at the Oregon
National Primate Research Center.
The monkeys were placed on a high-fat diet for several years. They were then
returned to a lower-fat diet (standard monkey food) with a 30 percent reduction in
calories.
For a one-month period, the monkeys’ weight and activity levels were closely
tracked. Activity was tracked through the use of an activity monitor worn on a collar.
Surprisingly, the scientists found that there was no significant weight loss at the
end of the month.
However, Sullivan said there was a significant change in the activity levels for
these monkeys.
“Naturally occurring levels of physical activity for the animals began to diminish
soon after the reduced-calorie diet began. When caloric intake was further
reduced in a second month, physical activity in the monkeys diminished even
further,” Sullivan said.
A comparison group of three monkeys was fed a normal monkey diet and was
trained to exercise for one hour daily on a treadmill. This comparison group did
lose weight.
Cameron said the study demonstrated that there is a natural body mechanism
which conserves energy in response to a reduction in calories.
“Food is not always plentiful for humans and animals and the body seems to
have developed a strategy for responding to these fluctuations,” said Cameron.
“These findings will assist medical professionals in advising their patients. It may
also impact the development of community interventions to battle the childhood
obesity epidemic and lead to programs that emphasize both diet and exercise,”
she added.
The research appears in the American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory,
Integrative and Comparative Physiology.
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