Diet Alone Unlikely To Lead To Significant Weight Loss
Newly-published research by scientists at Oregon Health & Science University demonstrates that simply reducing caloric intake is not enough to promote significant weight loss. This appears to be due to a natural compensatory mechanism that reduces a person’s physical activity in response to a reduction in calories. The research is published in the April edition of the American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.
“In the midst of America’s obesity epidemic, physicians frequently advise their patients to reduce the number of calories they are consuming on a daily basis. This research shows that simply dieting will not likely cause substantial weight loss. Instead, diet and exercise must be combined to achieve this goal,” explained Judy Cameron Ph.D., a senior scientist at OHSU’s Oregon National Primate Research Center, and a professor of behavioral neuroscience and obstetrics & gynecology in the OHSU School of Medicine, as well as a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh.
To conduct 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. Read more
Slimming Down For Swimsuit Season
For most people, summer is the season for wearing light clothing and enjoying the outdoors, but those who have gained weight over the winter are probably not eager to throw on a swimsuit or pair of shorts.
Thankfully, it’s not too late to shed those extra pounds you’ve been battling since New Year’s Day and keep them off.
“This time of year offers us a greater variety of healthy foods to choose from, which makes this an ideal time to lose weight and keep it off,” says Megan Fendt, a registered dietitian at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center.
Michele Murphy, a registered dietitian at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, adds that “Every season offers us new ways to improve our diets and the summertime is no exception.”
Megan Fendt and Michele Murphy offer the following tips to help trim the fat this summer: Read more