Diets damage health, shows biggest ever study

Daily Mail ^ | Apr. 9 2007 | FIONA MacRAE

[carlo3b]

Diets damage health, shows biggest ever study

By FIONA MacRAE - Last updated at 00:24am on 10th April 2007

Most people pile the pounds straight back on after dieting

The world's largest study of weight loss has shown that diets do not work for the vast majority of slimmers and may even put lives at risk.
More than two-thirds pile the pounds straight back on, raising the danger of heart attack, stroke and diabetes.
Indeed most dieters end up heavier than they did to start with, the researchers found.

They warn this type of yo-yo behaviour is linked to a host of health problems. And they say the strain that repeated weight loss and gain places on the body means most people would have been better off not dieting at all.

The findings follow other research that shows the UK is in the grip of a dieting frenzy, with one in four Britons at any one time trying to lose weight.

The average woman is estimated to lose and gain 251/2 stone during her lifetime - putting on 151/2 stone for the ten stone she loses through dieting. Last night, the U.S. scientists behind the latest research - the most thorough and comprehensive analysis of its kind - said that dieting simply does not work.

The University of California researchers analysed the results of more than 30 studies involving thousands of slimmers.

Although the overview did not name specific weight loss plans, popular diets in recent years include the low carbohydrate, high protein Atkins diet and the GI diet, which is rich in slow-burning wholegrain carbohydrates.
(snip)
Researcher Dr Traci Mann said: "You can initially lost 5 to 10 per cent of your weight on any number of diets.

[Mrs.Liberty]

ping

[Vor Lady]

FYI

[goodnesswins]

Have you had ALL your hormones checked? DHEA? Testosterone? Estrogen? Progesterone? Plus, your thyroid. I was in your shoes about 3 years ago.....I couldn’t even move one of my knees for about a year it hurt so bad.....this past January 2007 I cross country skied Yellowstone Nat’l Park 5 days in a row - 4 - 7 miles a day, at the 5-8000 ft level.....I was told I had Rheumatoid Arthritis.....I knew they were wrong......you might want to get checked. I can run, walk, ski, bike, etc.....oh, and I’m 56.....

[gonzo]

There's a little-known statistic that applies in many personal situations, and it's the 6% to 8% answer.

It goes like this:

6% to 8% of the people who are heavy drinkers (label them alcoholics if you wish), and decide to quit drinking, never drink alcohol again!
6% to 8% of the people who are heavy drinkers (label them alcoholics if you wish), and go into re-hab, never drink alcohol again!
6% to 8% of the people who are heavy drinkers (label them alcoholics if you wish), and go to A-A, never drink alcohol again!
6% to 8% of the people who use drugs a lot (label them drug addicts if you wish), and decide to quit using drugs, never use drugs again!
6% to 8% of the people who use drugs a lot (label them drug addicts if you wish), and decide to go into re-hab, or N-A, never use drugs again!
6% to 8% of the people who are overweight (not Morbid-Obesity), and decide to trim-down to their own ideal weight, achieve their goal, and are never overweight again.
6% to 8% of the people who are overweight (not Morbid-Obesity), and try every 'fad' diet that's in style at any particular time, sometimes for years, eventually achieve their own ideal weight, and are never overweight again!

The common thread here, as TASMANIANRED has touched on, is an internal lifestyle change that is realised, either consciously or sub-consciously, and the person changes.

Interestingly, the 6% to 8% rule seems to apply to the general population also, when it comes to heavy-drinkers, drug users, and chronic overeaters.

Statistics are fun! ................ FRegards

[grey_whiskers]

You must have read my vanities on this.

Here, here, and here.

(The second one is probably the closest to this thread...)

Cheers!