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HSI e-Alert - Get Real

Mon, 02 Jan 2006 06:50:00 -0500

 

 

 

 

HSI e-Alert - Get Real

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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January 02, 2006

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

Have you made a plan to lose some weight in the New Year? Did you even

go so far as to make it a resolution?

 

If so, consider this idea: Forget about losing weight.

 

I bet you weren't expecting that one. But don't think I'm suddenly

disregarding the need to maintain proper body weight. Obviously that's

required for optimal health. But today we'll look at an alternative to

weight loss diets. It's a plan designed to achieve a simple goal:

improved health.

 

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Every size fits all

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Many weight-loss diets fail. That's a given. Either in the short run

or the long run, a large number of dieters discover that some or all

of the weight returns. So can anything be done for those people who

can't seem to lose weight, try as they might? That's the question

addressed by researchers at the University of California, Davis (UCD)

in a study that tested a concept known as " health at every size, " or HAES.

 

The UCD team recruited nearly 80 obese women, aged 30 to 45 years,

described as " chronic " dieters. Half the subjects followed a

conventional weight-loss program in which a registered dietitian gave

instruction in nutrition, eating behavior, social support and

exercise. The subjects were asked to follow a diet based on moderate

restriction of calories and fats.

 

The other subjects participated in a HAES approach. This group was

coached by a nutritionist who focused on eating behavior, physical

activity, enhancing body acceptance, social support and, of course,

nutrition. HAES subjects were not asked to follow a specific diet, but

were instructed in wise food choices and then encouraged to follow

their " internal clues " and intuition in planning their daily meals.

 

The program emphasized the importance of recognizing and overcoming

vulnerability to external clues (such as fast food advertising) that

lead to unwise choices. Instead of formal exercise, this group was

encouraged to engage in simple physical activities they enjoy, and

received training on overcoming stigmas (such as poor body image) that

might keep them from exercising.

 

For both groups, the first six-month phase was followed up with six

months of participation in support groups. At the end of an additional

18-month follow up period, the subjects were weighed, checked for body

mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol, and were interviewed

regarding self-esteem and body image.

 

The UCD team reports that subjects in the diet group tended to lose

weight, but during the follow up period most of it was regained with

little overall improvement. The HAES group maintained a generally

steady weight, but improved in all other outcomes. In other words, the

HAES subjects didn't lose weight, but experienced improved health.

 

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Body image makeover

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The " healthy at every size " concept provides a workable alternative

for those who struggle unsuccessfully to lose weight and keep it off.

But there are three important points to consider before you forever

give up all attempts to lose weight.

1) Different diets have different effects Anyone who has tried and

tried again to lose weight on low-fat diets (such as the diet used by

the " conventional " group in the UCD study) has been laying the

groundwork for failure. As I've mentioned in previous e-Alerts,

consumption of carbohydrates (especially simple, refined carbs)

creates natural cravings for more carbs, setting off a cycle that has

undone many a weight-loss diet.

 

2) Exercise until you're not blue in the face The exercise plan for

the conventional diet group in the UCD study is somewhat vague, so we

don't know just how intense it may have been. But as we've written

many times in the HSI Members Alert and the e-Alert, when it comes to

exercise, less is more. This is illustrated in a recent study from the

University of Colorado at Boulder in which obese subjects were found

to actually burn more calories while walking at a relaxed pace than

they did while walking at a normal pace. They also reduced stress on

their knee joints by as much as 25 percent.

 

3) What you consume can help you lose In the e-Alert " Skinny Dipping "

(3/4/03), I told you about a National Institutes of Health review of

studies that examined the correlation of body weight to the intake of

supplemental and dietary calcium. Results showed that subjects who had

the highest levels of weight loss also had the highest intake of

calcium. The problem with calcium (in either dietary or supplement

form) is that it's poorly absorbed. So bring on the magnesium, which

increases calcium absorption. Fortunately, many magnesium food sources

fit into a weight-loss diet: leafy green vegetables, whole grains,

bananas, apricots, meat, beans, and nuts.

 

Healthy at every size finally offers those of us who struggle with

those extra pounds a way to be healthy without trying to be stick

thin. Personally, I especially support the idea of overcoming poor

body image by accepting your body type for what it is, without

negative judgments. Accepting yourself for who you are is a pretty

important first step toward becoming healthy.

 

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....and another thing

 

" There's a phrase that makes me sick. The phrase is 'risk benefit

ratio'. It seems that it is acceptable that a number of people will

die if you sell a certain amount of medication. Death is not an

acceptable side effect. There's no acceptable ratio when one of those

people is your loved one... "

 

That quote is taken from a statement made by Kate Trunk before an FDA

advisory committee in 2002. Seven years earlier, Kate's son Marcus

sprained his wrist. To address the pain, his doctor wrote a

prescription for a drug that contained acetaminophen. When the

prescription ran out, Marcus took an over-the-counter acetaminophen

product for another week. Within a few days he developed a fever and

began vomiting. When he went to a hospital emergency room, doctors

gave him further doses of acetaminophen.

 

Within a week, Marcus died of liver failure caused by acetaminophen

overdose.

 

In the e-Alert " Safety Measured " (12/29/05) I told you about a new

study that demonstrates just how easy it is to damage the liver with

acetaminophen. What's most alarming is that rates of acetaminophen

overdose are on the rise.

 

Obviously, the only way to reverse this trend is to get the word out.

So this will be a mission for the e-Alert in 2006. I'll carefully

follow whatever news comes along regarding acetaminophen, I'll pass it

along to you, and together we can help make countless others aware of

the risks involved.

 

You can find more information about acetaminophen dangers at the web

site started by Marcus Trunk's family: drug-warning.org.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

 

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Sources:

 

" Size Acceptance and Intuitive Eating Improve Health for Obese, Female

Chronic Dieters " Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Vol.

105, No. 6, June 2005, adajournal.org

" Overweight? Don't Diet, Researchers Say " Amy Norton, Reuters Health,

6/8/05, reutershealth.com

" Walk Slowly for Weight Loss, According to University of Colorado

Study " University of Colorado press release, 6/15/05, eurekalert.org