Start eating, diets don't work
Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:25:51
Following a comprehensive review, researchers at the
University of California, Los Angeles, have concluded
that dieting is futile at best.
The study published in the April edition of American
Psychologist says that a comprehensive review of dieting
research has indicated that dieting does not work.
UCLA associate professor of psychology and lead author
of the study, Doctor Traci Mann stated that "You can
initially lose 5 to 10 percent of your weight on any
number of diets, but then the weight comes back."
According to Doctor Mann, between 33 to 66 percent of
the people who dieted regained more that what they lost
within 4 to 5 years.
Through a comprehensive analysis of studies that
followed people on diets for 2 to 5 years, the
researchers discovered that it would have been better
for most of those on diet to not go on the diet at all.
A co-author of the study, UCLA psychology graduate Janet
Tomiyama, also said that "Several studies indicate that
dieting is actually a consistent predictor of future
weight gain."
The researchers warned that the reality of the situation
could actually be even worse since statistical figures
make diet studies look better than they are by no
reflecting the reality.
Cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and altered
immune function are among the health hazards brought
about by repeated weight loss and regain, Dr. Mann
cautioned.
