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How Can A Simple Dietary Change Help Lose Weight? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were an estimated 200 million obese adults worldwide and another 18 million overweight children who were below the age of 5 in 1995. The number of obese adults has increased to more than 300 million as of 2000. Overweight or obesity can put a person at risk of developing a number of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. So overweight or obese people are always advised to lose weight. In theory, losing weight is just a matter of controlling the intake of calories so that the body gets all it needs without gaining weight. But in reality, this is hardly an easy task. Most people who wish to lose weight have to struggle with complicated diet plans and feel deprived over long lists of what not to eat. Very few people could actually reach the recommended goals. Good news for these people is that a new study revealed that a simpler approach might work: eat more of certain foods and do not worry so much about calorie counting. Researchers from University of Massachusetts Medical School, Medical School of Yangzhou University, China, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science and University of Massachusetts Lowell published their findings on February 17, 2015 in the ‘Annals of Internal Medicine’.
240 obese adults with metabolic syndrome were tracked and put on a program that randomly divided them into 2 diet groups: the standard American Heart Association (AHA) diet group, and high-fiber diet group. Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that include high blood pressure and high blood sugar that can raise a person's risk of heart disease or diabetes. The AHA diet group had to follow 13 guidelines, including limiting calories by eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods; consuming at least 30 grams of fiber per day; choosing lean proteins; reducing sugar and salt consumption; drinking little or no alcohol; and balancing fat, carbohydrate, protein and cholesterol consumption to specific ratios. On the other hand, participants in the high-fiber diet group were simply asked to eat more foods rich in fiber like fruits, vegetables and whole grains to reach a quota of at least 30 grams of fiber per day without limiting calorie intake. Neither group had specific advice for physical activity. Completion rate for both groups at the end of one year of participation was closed to 90 percent based on self-reported food intake and tracked body weight. Weight loss for both groups were very similar: an average of 4.6 pounds for the fiber-diet group and 5.9 pounds for the AHA diet. Participants in both groups also showed similar drops in cholesterol levels, blood pressure, blood sugar and inflammation. While the more restrictive AHA diet has long been documented to promote weight loss and improved general health, it only resulted a slightly greater weight loss in the new study that was sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The study was not ready to suggest that people at risk of developing diabetes should drop the AHA diet and focus just on eating more fiber, but it did indicate an alternative way of getting healthier. Telling people to reduce this or reduce that is difficult but it is easier and more effective for many people in the long term by just asking them to focus on eating more of a certain food, in this case, fiber. After all, fiber has been shown by previous studies to help people feel more full, eat less and improve some metabolic markers like blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood sugar. People who wish to lose or maintain weight should bear in mind that mental focus and long-term commitment are essential to losing weight and keeping it off, no matter which plan they wish to follow.
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