Two out of three Americans are overweight. The primary cause is that we eat more and exercise less. There is no doubt that the more advances we make that enhance our lifestyle the heavier we become. Wait a minute! What about all those low fat foods that we eat now? How come I reduced fat in my diet but I am still gaining weight? It is a simple answer. A few years ago we all became aware of the detrimental effects of fat in our diet. What did we do? We began to concentrate on lowering cholesterol and taking fat out of our diets. This is a good thing. However, The National Center for Health Statistics studied eating habits of 8,260 adult American between 1988 and 1991. Their research showed that Americans had significantly reduced their fat intake but still packed on the pounds. How can this happen? There is no mystery. In the process of counting fat grams, we stopped counting calories! Many of us bought in to the theory that if it is low-fat it will not make us fat. WRONG! You can not forget about counting calories. If you eat more calories than you need the body will store them as fat. It does not matter whether the calories are from fat or carbohydrates. One school of thought believes that eating small amounts of fat can actually keep you from over indulging on total calories. The theory is that dietary fat causes our bodies to produce a hormone that tells the intestines to slow down the emptying process. You feel full and therefore are less likely to overeat. Adding a little peanut butter to your rice cake may satisfy your hunger for a longer period of time, thus preventing you from eating more than you need. Here is more news that is surprising. Tufts University scientists put 11 middle aged men and women volunteers on a variety of average, reduced and low fat diets. The results? Extremely low fat diets which provided only 15 percent fat from calories (this is a diet near impossible in real life) did have a positive effect on blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. However, a reduced fat diet (much more realistic) only affected those levels if accompanied by weight loss. In fact, they concluded, cutting fat without losing weight actually increased triglyceride levels and decreased high density lipoproteins (HDLs), the good cholesterol that helps protect again heart disease. We can deduce, therefore, while excess fat is not healthy, fat is also not necessarily a bad thing. Without some fat in our diet, the body will not make nerve cells and hormones or absorb some of the fat soluble vitamins.
A national study recently revealed telling facts regarding low-fat diets and their benefits relating to cancer and heart disease. A study concluded by the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) and Stanford University noted that a low-fat diet, alone, is not enough to greatly reduce the risk of heart disease and/or cancer in adult women. Researchers have found that a reduction in saturated and trans fats may provide more positive results.
The study showed that women who participate in a low-fat diet experienced a 9% reduction in the development of breast cancer. In addition, no significant changes were noted in the occurrence of heart disease. An impressive 49,000 females, ranging in age from 50 to 79, participated in what is known as the America's largest long-term study of a low-fat diet to ever be noted. The research was conducted over a period of eight years, in which the experts planned to test the theory that low-fat diets were helpful in reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Among the 49,000 subjects, 40% were assigned to a low-fat diet, which required that they reduce their fat intake to 20% of their total calorie intake. In addition, they were to eat fruits and vegetables on five or more instances throughout the day, along with six servings of grain. The remaining 60% of participants were designated as the comparison group and were instructed to maintain their eating habits as always.
Women's Health Initiative experts, however, noted that a number of low-fat diet participants did not meet the 20% fat intake goal. In a recent news report released from Stanford University, experts conveyed that women who wish to maintain their health should consider a diet that is both low in saturated and trans fats while being rich in fiber and vegetables. This diet would replace one that is geared solely toward the intake of low-fat foods.
"Just switching to low-fat foods is not likely to yield much health benefit in most women," commented Marcia Stefanick, PhD, professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center and chair of the Women's Health Initiative steering committee. "Rather than trying to eat low-fat, women should focus on reducing saturated fats and trans fats."
In addition to any diet program, regular exercise and health screenings should be used for early detection and the most effective treatment.
The information in this article is intended for informational purposes only. It should not be considered as, or used in place of, medical advice or professional recommendations for diet and/or exercise regimens. Every individual should consult his/her physician prior to beginning any program consisting of diet and/or exercise.
Both Mike Durand & Aurel Radulescu are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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