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Diet Bytes
September 2005
By WLR Guest Dietitian
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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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