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DIET
WHAT IS THE BEST DIET,
ACCORDING TO SCIENCE?
When it comes down to it, the science diets – also known as total food
of dieting is simple: eat less. You can replacement diets – are effective and
do it with a low-fat diet (like the raw safe if applied correctly. A major
food diet), or a low-carb diet (like the analysis of trials in 2017, headed by
Atkins or paleo diet). But the problem Birmingham University’s Centre for
with diets is not so much losing Obesity Research, showed that these
weight, but finding a way to do it that diets brought an average weight
is effective, safe, fits in with your loss of 10kg after 12 months. This
lifestyle and is sustainable so that you compares with research showing that
don’t put the weight back on again. behavioural programmes (focused on
he statistics tell their own story. Diet academics (as opposed to changing eating habits and exercising),
One in four people in England product pushers) avoid prescriptive such as Slimming World and Weight
are now classified as obese, advice because different diets fit Watchers, bring a weight loss of 4kg
T compared with one in six in the different people’s lifestyles and after one year.
1990s. Fifty-eight per cent of women and personalities. But recent research Prof Jebb says that, although
68 per cent of men are now overweight. indicates that one particular group of research indicates that all dieters gain
Being overweight makes us less healthy: a diets is most effective for the greatest weight afterwards (no matter which
study published in Lancet Public Health in number of people. These are the regime they follow), the more weight
2017 showed a clear relationship between supervised diet programmes, like the they lose the longer they stay beneath
hospital admissions and body weight. But Cambridge Weight Plan, LighterLife the ‘obese and unhealthy’ bar. And
it isn’t just physical problems that are and Optifast diets, consisting entirely although food replacement diets may
the issue, because being overweight also of prepared snack bars, shakes and look extreme, they do contain a
makes many people unhappy. other food products. You might balance of nutrients that some
A British Social Attitudes survey assume these fast-acting diets would do-it-yourself diets might not.
revealed that people who are overweight be condemned by scientists as drastic,
suffer significant stigma and that 53 unhealthy and gimmicky. Yet research Verdict: Try a supervised diet to
per cent of the British public believe is finding that these very low-calorie safely shed excess weight. 5
that most overweight people could lose
the extra pounds if they tried. But the
science shows that it’s not simply a matter
of being weak-willed.
“There are clear reward pathways for
food in the brain and so, if something is
rewarding and constantly available, why
wouldn’t you [seek more of it]?” says Prof
Susan Jebb, a nutrition scientist at Oxford
University. “You have to make a constant
conscious effort to say no.”
Fortunately, science is providing some
answers to the questions about weight
control. A decade ago, there weren’t enough
scientific trials to allow experts to provide
evidence-backed advice. Now, there are
clear scientific pointers on how to fight fat,
and what the studies find may surprise you.
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BBC SCIENCE FOCUS MAGAZINE COLLECTION 15
