Diet Bytes September 2005

By Dietitian, Juliette Kellow BSc RD

Sugary drinks and weight gain

Sugary drinks and weight gain have been back in the news. In fact a number of studies, have linked a regular intake of sugary soft drinks with a greater risk of being overweight

Remember you will gain weight if you consume more calories than you burn.

Eating a lot of sugar will not cause weight gain unless you are eating more calories than you need. However, sugary drinks do seem to promote weight gain more than other types of food.

One proposed explanation is that we find it harder to adjust our calorie intake when we have consumed extra calories in liquid form rather than in solid food. We don't feel as if we have "eaten", and still tend to eat a normal sized meal forgetting the sugar calories from the drinks.

WLR says

If you want to cut back on sugar and its unwanted calories then a simple switch to make is from standard soft drinks to sugar-free alternatives. And it’s probably a change worth making for the whole family.

Water is the cheapest, convenient and calorie-free alternative – tap, still or sparkling. A squeeze of lime or lemon juice or a sprig of mint adds a dash of flavour. Some pureed berries topped up with sparkling mineral water is a real treat.

Sugar-free squashes, flavoured mineral waters and fizzy drinks make a low-calorie change.

Remember that fruit juice (even unsweetened) has a similar sugar and calorie content to sugary drinks – the sugar is just from the fruit. Diluting it with water can cut calories but still give you some vitamin C, potassium and antioxidants. And be aware that fruit juice drinks typically contain just a small amount of juice – topped up with water and sugar.

Another reason to limit sugary drinks is to help look after everyone’s teeth and gums. Having sugary foods or drinks frequently over the day can lead to tooth decay.

Diet injections for us?

Could a daily jab help melt those unwanted pounds away? A research team from Imperial College and Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust in London has used a naturally occurring digestive hormone – called oxyntomodulin – to help a small group of volunteers to want to eat less, and lose weight.

Sounds too good to be true? Here’s the reality check. The injections had to be self-administered 3 times a day, and the average weight loss over 4 weeks was 5lbs/2.3kg. And while promising, the procedure needs more careful testing, over longer periods, to see how beneficial it really might be.

WLR says

Due to the rising problem of obesity in the UK and the many health problems linked to it - being obese could reduce lifespan by an average of 9 years – there is a constant research drive for new medications and approaches to prevent and treat obesity.

This new finding is at least based on a naturally occurring hormone – meaning virtually no side effects – and seems to work by reducing levels of leptin (a hormone that helps regulate appetite and body fat levels). In this 4-week study it helped people to cut their calorie intake by about 10 per cent via its effect on reducing appetite.

But it certainly isn’t a miracle cure. And it is too early to say if it really does have a proper place in helping people who need that extra support, to safely manage their weight in the long term.

Myth Buster

Some people eat what they like and never gain weight

A study which ensured that slim and overweight young men were overfed by 50 per cent more than their calorie needs found that all subjects gained weight at the same rate.

While it might appear that some lucky people can eat what they like and never gain, they’re actually burning off any excess calories, say by twitching, fidgeting, moving around and changing posture. They may also have that in-built mentality of ‘eating to live’ rather than ‘living to eat’!

Myth Buster

Vegetarian meals are the healthiest option?

Vegetarian dishes usually contain plenty of vegetables but they can also contain plenty of fat if made with loads of cheese, oil, pastry (even if it’s wholemeal), or creamy sauces.

Then there’s crumbed and fried veggie burgers or salad sandwiches usually served with lashings of mayonnaise! In fact, dietary surveys show that on average, vegetarians eat as much fat as omnivores, although less of it is the cholesterol-raising saturated fat.

So choose your vegetarian option carefully. And don’t forget that grilled, char-grilled, stir-fried, or baked dishes containing lean meat, fish or seafood and served with plenty of vegetables can be just as good a choice as healthy vegetarian dishes.

Keeping families in good shape

August saw headlines about ‘lovesick teenagers turning to junk food for comfort’. Comfort eating is something we can all no doubt relate to, and something that can make matters worse in terms of our relationship with food, not to mention our weight.

On the positive side, another study which received less coverage (no sexy headline!), gave some very helpful pointers about what can help children and teenagers grow up avoiding the increasingly common comfort eating and obesity trap.

Ashley Crossman, a sociology researcher in the US looked at national surveys with information about the weight and habits of over 6000 teenagers and young people – and also of their parents. This is what she found:

Those who grew up to be a healthy weight had the following common traits: As teenagers they:

• Ate breakfast
• Had good self-esteem
• Were too busy to spend loads of time watching TV or playing computer games
• Had parents who were good role models e.g. tended to be a healthy weight themselves, had more control over what their kids ate and had more education (however parents’ income didn’t make a difference).

Many factors affect weight but Ashley Crossman comments ‘our research suggests that prevention must begin at home. Healthy eating and active lifestyles are part of the solution.’

WLR says

I am sure WLR members will agree with this. Other News Round Ups this year have reported on studies with children that give similar recommendations.

Helping children to have a good self-esteem is also a key factor and something that can be easy to overlook with all the focus on healthy lifestyles.

Fortunately, very often the two can go hand in hand. In this study, much of the physical activity the kids were involved with was as part of an active life, for example, teenage part-time jobs, volunteer activities, and hobbies – which help boost their confidence and self-esteem as well as automatically trim their time in front of the TV or computer.

News Flash: Down Size Me!

Who can forget the movie ‘Super Size Me’ which portrayed how only eating at McDonalds and having super sized portions when suggested by staff, caused the presenter to gain weight, feel awful and find his cholesterol had gone through the roof?

Well, it certainly riled Merab Morgan from North Carolina; USA who felt the movie insulted the intelligence of overweight people by implying they could not resist super sized portions.

In retaliation she followed her own exclusively McDonalds eating plan – and lost 2stone 9lbs in 3 months (her initial weight was just over 16 stone).

Her diet consisted pretty much of Big Macs, ice cream and salads – and using McDonald’s nutritional guide, kept to around 1400 calories a day. Which is of course, why she lost weight!

WLR says

We certainly aren’t advocating the McDonald’s diet. But one thing this fun news story highlights is that you don’t have to follow super strict diets and never indulge in the occasional hamburger or other favourite food, to lose weight successfully. Eating out features in all of our lives. It also shows that there’s nothing like having plenty of motivation and self-belief to achieve weight loss success!

‘Diet’ pills for children?

This story hit the headlines early in August and at first glance looks alarming. But the facts behind the headline is that the ‘diet pill’ mentioned is actually a medication called Orlistat (Xenical is the brand name), and the age range involved is 12-16 years.

Orlistat works by blocking the absorption of fat in the intestine – about a third of the fat that would have been absorbed passes straight through the digestive system. Orlistat isn’t a magic pill and needs to be taken as part of a low fat, calorie-controlled diet with ongoing medical support. Studies show that compared to a calorie controlled diet alone it can help more obese people lose modest but beneficial amounts of weight over one year.

Doctors have been able to prescribe Orlistat for adults whose health needs meet certain criteria, but after the release of new research, the European Union has now approved its use with teenagers – again, criteria for use is strictly controlled. Whether it is prescribed or not is up to their doctor’s medical assessment and professional judgement.

WLR says

In response to public concern over this development the Royal College of General Practitioners made it clear that the drug should only be used with teenagers in extreme cases and we must not forget the important focus of taking more exercise and eating healthily for healthy weight control. We agree! If you have any questions about this medication then do talk to your doctor.

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