In the battle of the bulge, how we see food may be the cause of our nation’s obesity epidemic. The issue? We tend to underestimate the calories on our plate. Read the full story

Calorie counts will soon be listed on fast food menus throughout the country.  The change comes as a result of the fight against obesity and was included in the health care bill passed earlier this month. Read the full story

Weight loss can be hard if you don’t know how many calories you take in. A new study suggests that some restaurants offer deceptive menu information. Read the full story

Obesity Caused by Overeating, Not Laziness

According to one Australian academic, Americans are fat because we eat too much, not because we’re lazy.

In remarks made at an obesity conference in Amsterdam, Professor Boyd Swinburn of Australia’s Deakin University said “There is no evidence that a marked reduction in physical activity has been a contributor to this obesity epidemic in the United States. The increase in energy intake… virtually explained all of the weight gain.”

According to the professor, all those physical education classes we were forced to take as kids really were the utter waste of time we thought they were — and any increases in the intensity of exercise will have no effect on the weight gain among Americans.  Swinburn says the average American would need to engage in two hours of race-type walking each day in order to achieve a healthy weight while eating the current daily diet. And, odds are, that’s not going to happen soon.

Instead, he says, the solution is simply for all of us to eat less food — 350 calories less per day for kids, 500 calories less per day for adults. Doing so would return Americans to the average weight levels of the 1970s.

So if you think that hopping about in tights at the gym or speedwalking around the neighborhood is going to allow you to eat all the pizza and cheeseburgers you want, think again. Dr. Swinburn advises Americans to limit their expectations of what an increase in physical activity can achieve,and focus more on healthy eating habits than on physical activity.

In other words, put down the fork, America.

Brown Fat Burns Calories

According to three recent studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine, brown fat – a kind of adipose tissue found in newborns – is metabolically active, burning off calories in response to low temperatures and keeping baby warm.

White adipose tissue –the regular fat that adults and older kids have – just sort of sits there, making our pants fit badly.

Brown fat’s color is created by the presence of extra mitochondria within the brown fat cells. Mitochondria are tiny onboard organelles that serve as cellular power packs.

Since each mitochondrion burns calories to power its cell, the more mitochondria, the more calories burned. And since mitochondria contain iron, brown fat has a rusty, red shade that goes with almost any décor.

While everyone has some brown fat, the study found that thinner people and the young have the most. And while brown fat burns more calories, it’s no substitute for eating healthy and being active.

Researchers admit the possibility of a brown fat-based therapy someday, but even large deposits of the stuff only burn off an extra 500 calories per day or so – the equivalent of an extra bottle of formula.

Researchers Say Fad Diets Don’t Work

A new study shows that diets focused on gimmicks like no-carbs or high-protein or all grapefruit, all the time don’t actually work any better than a plain old diet. In other words, to lose weight, it doesn’t matter what kind of calories you eat – it only matters that you take in fewer calories.

But don’t take our word for it, diet plan fans – it’s all right there in the New England Journal of Medicine.

A research effort led by Harvard School of Public Health studied more than 800 overweight men and women who were assigned to follow one of four commercial diet plans. Each of the diets emphasized a particular food group – such as fat, protein, or carbs – and all contained healthy fats, whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Regardless of the plan they were on, the participants cut 750 calories a day from their regular intake, and they also put in plenty of gym time, exercising for 90 minutes each week. And, each participant kept a food diary throughout the study.

When all was said and done, the most effective diet for reducing weight and waist size was… none of the above. No matter what food group the diet was focused on, participants lost more or less the same amount of weight between all four groups. The conclusion, researchers say, is that it doesn’t matter how you cut calories, just that you end up burning more than you take in.

Recession May Be Affecting Our Waist Lines as well as Our Wallets

The global economic crisis is hitting everybody’s wallet these days. But, at least one researcher warns that it could be hitting us at the waistline, as well.

Dr. Adam Drewnowski, Director of the Nutritional Sciences Program at the University of Washington in Seattle, fears that widespread financial hardship may lead Americans to cut their food budgets, eliminating more expensive fresh foods  and substituting cheaper “survival foods” – foods that tend to be less expensive but higher in fat, salt, and calories. The result could be poverty-related weight gain – what some are calling “recession pounds.”

In his research, Dr. Drewnowski found that people with higher incomes tend to have body weights closer to the healthy norm, while those with lower incomes have a much higher rate of obesity.

But, just because you’re feeling the pinch in your pocketbook doesn’t mean you have to pack on the pounds.
Robert Keith, a professor of nutrition and food science at Auburn University, says you can still be health-conscious at the supermarket, even while shopping on a shoestring. He points out that vegetables, like kale, broccoli and brussel sprouts are relatively inexpensive and are readily available throughout the year. Also, produce like bell peppers, sweet potatoes, beets and collard greens don’t cost much and are packed with vitamins, and a can of sardines can be a cheap source of protein.

Of course, it’s bad to eat too much of anything – even kale. But, when hardship hits, a bunch of beets is a better bet than a shopping cart filled with traditional cheap eats, like Hamburger Helper, Pop-Tarts and Spam. So, shop wisely, friends!

Behavior Modification and Weight Loss Surgery Equally Effective

A new study published in the International Journal of Obesity shows that people who lose weight by adopting healthy diet and exercise habits can keep it off over the long-term just as well as those who have bariatric surgery.

The two-year study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, compared the lifestyles of a group of 315 obese patients, each of whom had lost and kept off an average of 124 pounds – some by behavior modification, some by weight loss surgery – and kept it off an average of five-and-a-half years. At the beginning of the study, researchers assessed each patient’s weight, along with his or her food intake, activity level, and psychological factors, like depression, then measured each of the markers one year later and at the end of the study.

Interestingly, the researchers found no significant differences in the amount of calories that each group took in, or the amount of weight they regained over the two year period.  However, the bariatric surgery patients had eaten more fat and more fast food than the non-surgical patients.

They also reported less conscious control over their eating and higher incidences of depression and stress.

And, only one-third of the surgical group reported engaging in the recommended level of physical activity, compared with 60 percent of the non-surgical group.

Doctors concluded that no matter how you lose the weight, good diet, physical activity, and psychological health are important parts of your recovery process. So guys, even if you’ve dropped the pounds, it’s important that you still go to the gym to keep your heart healthy, and that you stay plugged in with your doctor and a local support group.