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Trying to
eat less becomes more
important to fend off
Middle-Age Weight Gain
Newswise — Lots of experts disagree over the
seemingly obvious notion of keeping weight
off by trying to eat less – a debate that
centers on whether the practice backfires,
leading to binging and weight gain.
Now a new study shows that practicing
restraint becomes more important with age.
Women who participated in the study had more
than twice the risk of substantial weight
gain if they did not become more restrained
in their eating.
“Some suggest that restrained eating is not
a good practice,” said Brigham Young
University professor Larry Tucker, the
study’s lead author. “Given the
environmental forces in America’s food
industry, not practicing restraint is
essentially a guarantee of failure.”
The study followed 192 middle-aged women for
three years and tracked information on
lifestyle, health and eating habits. Their
analysis revealed that women who did not
become more restrained with eating were 138
percent more likely to put on 6.6 pounds or
more.
Columbia University researcher Lance
Davidson, who was not involved with the
analysis, said the findings highlight an
important principle of weight management.
“Because the body's energy requirements
progressively decline with age, energy
intake must mirror that decrease or weight
gain occurs,” said Davidson, a research
fellow at Columbia’s Obesity Research
Center. “Dr. Tucker's observation that women
who practice eating restraint avoid the
significant weight gain commonly observed in
middle age is an important health message.”
Tucker says watching what you eat is not
about physical appearance – it’s a direct
investment in your health.
“Weight gain and obesity bring a greater
risk of diabetes and a number of other
chronic diseases,” Tucker said. “Eating
properly is a skill that needs to be
practiced.”
The study will be published January 2 in the
American Journal of Health Promotion.
Professor Tucker’s Tips for Better Eating:
- Record what you eat and how much
- Put less food on your plate
- Eat more fruits and vegetables; the food
pyramid recommends at least five servings
per day
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