Dieting Does Not Work?

Obesity is a major health problem in our nation and is associated with various diseases, such as heart disease. It is also a growing problem. In 1997, our obesity rate was 19.4%. In 2007, it was 26.6%, with 64% of adults being classified as overweight. The graphs below show state incident rates of obesity in 1990 and 2006.



The most common treatment for obesity is diet and exercise. However, there have been several arguments that dieting is ineffective, and sometimes harmful, depending on the type of diet.

I was watching the Discovery Channel late last night (around 4am) and they had a health episode about obesity. Some of the experts interviewed during the segment claimed that the vast majority of patients cannot successfully diet and quickly regain their lost weight and sometimes even more weight. Some people attribute failed diets to lack of willpower and self-control, but there is a biological basis for this phenomenon. In our evolutionary past, our bodies valued fat. It cushioned our vital organs, insulated our body from frigid temperatures, and provided our system with a reserve of molecules to promote healthy cell function. When our bodies experience a significant weight drop, it thinks we are experiencing a famine. Our biological mechanisms do not understand that our body is dieting in order to reach a healthy weight level, it just notices that there has been a large drop in its fat reserve. So what happens? The body tries to protect itself by building back up the fat. People who diet often experience drops in mood, headaches, and physical pain, which could be our body's way of saying, "this isn't working for me."

Whether the biological response to dieting is true or not, research has supported that dieting often does not work. UCLA researchers analyzed 31 long-term dieting studies to determine the effectiveness of dieting. Psychologist and lead researcher, Traci Mann, reported the following--

"You can initially lose 5 to 10 percent of your weight on any number of diets, but the weight comes back. We found that the majority of people regained all the weight, plus more. Sustained weight loss was found only in a small minority of participants, while complete weight regain was found in the majority. Diets do not lead to sustained weight loss or health benefits for the majority of people."

A recent study by The New England Journal of Medicine corroborated these results.

Keep in mind, that repeated weight loss attempts can lead to health issues, such as heart problems and stroke.

Unfortunately, there is often a negative stigma around people who fail at dieting. The growing rate of obesity is associated with the growing number of weight discrimination reports. Dieting is difficult and can often fail. However, it is very important to have a healthy diet and to keep active. The combination of both healthy eating and an active lifestyle is the best way to achieve a healthy weight level.

Obesity is a societal problem and according to scientists, the best way to combat obesity is to look at the societal issues that relate to our increased rates of obesity. Our genes have remained the same for thousands of years, so our higher rates of obesity is not something that is genetic, but environmental. Not only are we consuming less healthy foods in our diet, but our lifestyles have significantly changed. Our bodies were made to roam sub-Saharan Africa in search of food. Now, we live more sedentary lifestyles as our daily routines have become dependent on technology. Many of us (more than 95% of Floridians) drive to work instead of biking or walking and we have become addicted to television and computers (however, it is okay to be addicted to health blogs). Because of this, scientists argue that promoting healthier diets and active lifestyles is the only solution to our increasing obesity problem.