Shunning Meat, Shedding Pounds: The Weight Loss Benefits Of Vegan and Vegetarian Diets

In the early 2000s, low-carb diets were all the rage, and men and women looking to shed excess pounds stocked up on once-forbidden high-fat foods such as steak, bacon, nuts, and eggs -- the ingredients that formed the basis of this very unorthodox approach to dieting.

Over the last several years, the low-carb craze has largely died down, and many studies have been published that called into question both the safety and the long-term effectiveness of the low-carb, high-fat, high-protein approach to weight loss.

Today, a new trend has emerged, with many overweight and obese people taking the exact opposite approach in order to lose weight. Growing numbers of people are strictly limiting -- or in some cases, completely eliminating -- their intake of animal-based products.

Weight loss is not the only reason why people are turning to vegetarianism, or its more restrictive form, veganism. Many followers of these diets cite moral and ethical concerns as the chief reasons behind their decision to give up meat and other animal-based products.

However, according to a number of groundbreaking studies that have been published over the last several years, both vegetarianism and veganism can profoundly improve health. This week, we?ll review some of the recent research that has shed light on these alternative diets.

Vegetarian Diet More Effective than Standard Low-Fat Diet for Maximum Weight Loss

Although a diet low in fat has long been touted as the single most effective method of achieving weight loss, a recent study indicates that faster, more permanent weight loss results can often be achieved simply by bypassing meat products.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh determined that men and women who stuck to a standard vegetarian diet consistently lost more weight over the course of a year than did their counterparts on a low-fat diet. This study allowed participants to partake in eggs, cheese, and other dairy products, although all meats, poultry, and fowl were disallowed.

After a year, the study participants who ate a vegetarian diet lost an average of 16.5 pounds, compared to a relatively paltry loss of only 4.8 pounds among those who ate a low-fat diet that included meat products. In addition, the researchers uncovered several other benefits, as well. The participants in the vegetarian group significantly lowered their levels of ?bad? cholesterol, and more of the vegetarian eaters were able to successfully remain on the diet after the initial 12-month period of the study than their counterparts in the low-fat group.

However, the researchers caution that vegetarian diets are not indicated for everyone, and that consultation with a physician should precede any major lifestyle change. Furthermore, the scientists stated that many of the benefits of the vegetarian diet were eroded if the subjects resumed eating meat.

Several Recent Studies Tout the Health, Weight Loss Benefits of Veganism

Veganism is commonly regarded as one of the most restrictive forms of vegetarian eating; adherents to this lifestyle typically shun not only meat, but also all animal-based foods, including eggs and dairy products.

For years, veganism was seen as an extreme dietary regimen practiced only by a fringe group of radical vegetarians. However, increasing numbers of people have turned to this lifestyle in recent years, spurred in part by growing awareness of the health benefits of a meat-free diet.

Researchers have also begun to study veganism more fully in recent years. Scientists at the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. sought to determine the weight loss benefits of a short-term vegan regimen among a group of postmenopausal women. It was found that the participants following a vegan diet were able to lose significantly more weight than their counterparts who followed a standard low-fat regimen. In addition, the insulin sensitivity of the women in the vegan group improved considerably, as well, a measure that helps prevent diabetes and promote the maintenance of a healthy weight.

Another recent study extended these findings, demonstrating that veganism can treat, and in some cases, actually reverse, many of the ill health effects of Type II diabetes. In a study that compared veganism to the standard diet recommended by the American Diabetes Association, it was found that 43% of the participants in the vegan group were able to reduce their diabetes medications, as opposed to only 26% of the participants who followed the dietary guidelines set forth by the ADA. Those in the vegan group also experienced more weight loss and reduction in cholesterol levels.

Although these results are promising, make sure you take the time to do more research and think it over before making the switch to vegetarianism or veganism. These are both significant lifestyle changes that can upset your body?s equilibrium if undertaken too suddenly. Also, as with all health-related concerns, discuss this issue with your doctor before making a decision.

Check back each week for more of the breaking research news that will help achieve and maintain a healthy weight!

How Can You Tell if You Are Fit or Fat? Recent Studies Weigh In On Obesity Assessment

If you?re among the growing population of people who doctors classify as clinically obese, you probably already recognize that you could drastically improve your health, well-being, and lifestyle by shedding a few excess pounds. When you?re carrying a significant amount of extra weight around, it?s not difficult to determine that a lifestyle change is in order.

But for people who are closer to the weight range typically defined as ?normal? for their age, gender, and body type, determining whether a lifestyle change is necessary can be much more challenging. Doctors, health advocacy organizations, and medical researchers often have starkly different points of view on this issue, as evidenced by the vast array of assessment tools that are currently being used to set the ranges that constitute healthy and unhealthy weights for each person.

The challenge of identifying the best tool for assessing weight is one of the most significant -- and controversial -- issues facing medical researchers today. This week, we?ll take a look at a few recent studies that have sought to shed some light on this subject.

Recent Study Questions Validity of BMI Scale

The Body-Mass Index has long been regarded as one of the most reliable techniques for assessing the healthiness of an individual?s weight. It uses weight, height, and, in some cases, frame size to calculate a number that indicates whether an individual is a healthy weight, overweight, or obese.

Although the BMI scale has a number of inherent limitations, it has long been regarded as the default method of obesity assessment. In particular, scientists conducting large-scale research projects have come to rely upon the BMI scale as a method of classifying study participants as normal, overweight, or obese based on a few key pieces of height and weight data.

However, over the last several years, concerns about the efficacy of the BMI scale have begun to accumulate rapidly. A growing number of critics have questioned whether researchers, doctors, and public health advocacy groups alike have become overly reliant on BMI assessment.

These criticisms seem to have been validated, at least in part, by the results of a recent study conducted by a research team at the Harvard Medical School. According to the findings, the BMI scale has several significant shortcomings. Most notably, the BMI scale tends to over-identify athletes as overweight or obese, while giving a free pass to skinny but out-of-shape individuals. The obesity levels of the elderly are also often underestimated on the BMI scale, because they tend to have less muscle mass than their younger counterparts.

The researchers suggested that the ratio of the measurement of the waist to the measurement of the hips may represent a much more accurate method for obesity assessment. This method more accurately reflects the negative health impact of excessive fat around the midsection, which is widely agreed to be a sign that weight loss efforts are necessary. Although the BMI will likely continue to be used in some situations, researchers caution that it should not be regarded as an infallible measure of obesity.

Study Sheds Light on the Role of the Scale in Weight Loss

For dieters, the scale can be both your best friend and your worst enemy. On the positive side, frequent weighing can help us keep close tabs on our progress and make adjustments according to even small fluctuations in weight. On the other hand, excessive reliance on the scale can lead to frustration and disappointment -- and, some researchers fear, the abandonment of weight loss efforts altogether. As a result, some diet gurus have begun to advise those seeking to shed excess pounds to look to other methods of keeping track of their progress, such as paying attention to the way clothes fit and taking body measurements.

However, a recent study conducted by scientists at the University of Minnesota indicates that the scale may be a useful tool in weight loss efforts, after all. Over the course of two years, individuals who weighed themselves more frequently were shown to have lost more weight and gained less weight back than their counterparts who rarely or never weighed themselves. However, the researchers caution that dieters should avoid becoming excessively reliant on the scale, and to measure their weight loss progress in other ways, as well.

Research Indicates 'Skinny' Does Not Always Mean 'Healthy'

We tend to make a lot of snap judgments about people's weight and health based on their outward appearance. Often, it?s assumed that men and women who appear to be thin are fit and healthy, while more rotund individuals are automatically believed to be at greater health risk.

However, according to the results of a recent study funded by Britain's Medical Research Council, these assumptions may not always accurate. Apparently, not all fat is created equally. Studies show that fat that is gathered around the midsection or collected around the internal organs may be disproportionately harmful.

Interestingly, people who appear thin can be at high risk for these kinds of fatty deposits. According to the researchers, everyone should be vigilant for signs of internal or external fat accumulation, regardless of their body size.

No matter which method of measurement you prefer, it's important to keep tabs on your weight so you will be better equipped to stay within an optimal range. And don't forget to check back each week for the breaking research news that will help you create and maintain a healthy lifestyle!

Researchers Explore the Diet-Exercise Connection

Finding the most effective weight loss regimen is a constant struggle for those who are seeking to lose weight. It seems that everywhere dieters turn, they are presented with conflicting information about which approach will yield the fastest, easiest, and most lasting weight loss results.

One issue that is a focus of much debate is the role of exercise in an effective weight loss plan. Most experts contend that you have to break a sweat on a regular basis to achieve lasting weight loss, but a growing group of naysayers contend that it?s what (and how much) you eat that will ultimately determine the success of your efforts to slim down.

Researchers have also begun to focus more attention on the issue of exercise as part of a weight loss regimen. This week, we?ll review what some of the latest studies addressing this always-contentious issue have had to say on the matter.

Exercise Not Required For Weight Loss

Researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana challenged the longstanding assumption that physical exercise is mandatory for overweight men and women who want to shed excess pounds. According to the results of their analysis, it doesn?t matter whether a calorie deficit is created through dietary restriction, increased physical activity, or a combination of both. All three methods are equally effective as part of a weight loss effort.

In their study, the participants who adhered to restricted calorie diets and those who dieted and exercised lost approximately the same amount of body fat. The participants in the exercise-only group lost, on average, much less weight.

Although the researchers affirm the importance of physical exertion for improving overall health, they point out that exercise is not absolutely necessary in order to lose weight. Instead, the only non-negotiable aspect of an effective weight loss regimen is ensuring that you are taking in fewer calories than you are burning on a daily basis.

Even Minimal Exercise Helps Overweight Women Reduce Disease Risk, Improve Health

Obesity is associated with a laundry list of negative health outcomes, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and many other disorders and diseases. However, some people are intimidated by the prospect of initiating an exercise regimen. This is often the case for women who are significantly overweight. For women in this group, lifestyle constraints and physical limitations can make the prospect of thirty minutes on a treadmill overwhelming.

The results of one recent study suggest that even short bursts of exercise may have a sizable impact on the health outlook and overall quality of life for significantly overweight women. According to researchers at the University of South Carolina, as little as ten minutes a day of moderate physical exertion has been proven to have a positive impact.

Among the 427 overweight women who participated in the study, as little as 75 minutes per week of moderate physical exertion was linked with positive health benefits such as increased oxygen capacity, a smaller waist, and reduced blood pressure, although little or no sustained weight loss was reported.

This works out to approximately 10-15 minutes a day of exercise, a commitment that most people feel comfortable making. Furthermore, the researchers underscore the fact that the exertion need not be ?exercise? in the traditional sense -- it?s entirely possible to get one?s daily quota in vigorous housework, playing games with children, or gardening.

Strength Training Less Effective for Obese People

According to the results of a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Connecticut, men and women who are overweight or obese get fewer benefits from a program of strength, resistance, and/or weight training than do their non-obese counterparts. In a study that assessed the benefits of strength training for adults aged 18-40, the researchers found that obese and overweight participants gained an average of four to seventeen percent less muscle mass than thin participants.

The researchers hypothesized that some of the same genetic differences that make some people more likely to become overweight could also account for the differences in muscles? response to weight training. However, the researchers contend that this type of exercise is still beneficial for overweight individuals, although the results of such a program won?t be as immediately evident.

Although these study results are varied, most experts continue to recommend daily physical exercise as an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Check back each week for more research news geared to help you fine-tune your weight loss regimen!

Obesity, Diet and Weight Loss News from Around the World

For years, obesity was a problem that plagued primarily affluent Western nations. However, over the course of the last several decades, the process of globalization has changed the diets of people all over the world -- and not always for the better. As Western-style fast food franchises and processed, packaged food products have begun to gain worldwide popularity, more countries are witnessing the advent of obesity problems. The prevalence of obesity and overweight has risen significantly in Asia, which has long been home to lean populations with largely healthy diets.

Although this troubling trend does not bode well for international public health, it has sparked new interest in the study of diet and weight loss-related topics. In recent years, research institutes and teams of scientists hailing from all over the world have contributed significant findings to the growing body of obesity and weight loss research. This week, we?ll take a look at the results of several recent studies published in India and China.

Asia Begins to Grapple With Obesity

As China has made the ascent from gripping poverty to international economic powerhouse over the course of the last several decades, increasing numbers of Chinese men, women, and children have begun to face the problem of obesity. Figures gathered by national health agencies indicate that the rate of obesity has increased by nearly 40% in recent years, with nearly 20% of all children and adolescence now fitting the clinical description for obesity.

This has led the Chinese government to enact a series of measures designed to reverse the obesity trend. Recently, several programs were instituted to increase physical activity among school-aged children, including periods of mandatory dancing during the school day. Other studies have been commissioned attempting to identify the causes of obesity among Chinese youth, the results indicating that wealthier households, along with an increasing abundance of unhealthy foods, were likely the chief culprits.

However, recent studies conducted in China have also indicated that the path away from increasing obesity could be found in at least a partial return to traditional ways of eating. One study found that greater consumption of black tea, green tea, and Oolong tea, all of which are traditional Chinese beverages with ancient roots.

The study indicated that chemical compounds known as polyphenols that are found in all three varieties of the most commonly consumed types of tea can prompt weight loss. The highest concentration of polyphenols can be found in Oolong tea. Luckily for Western dieters, this tea can now be found on the shelves of many American and European grocery stores, as well, making it easy for everyone to make use of the natural fat-fighting properties of this traditional Asian beverage.

India?s Growing Affluence Sparks Obesity

The obesity epidemic has also made a significant impact in India in recent years. Like China, much of India has long been mired in dire poverty. However, as a result of the process of globalization, India?s economic might has increased considerably in recent years. Today, employment is at an all-time high, and many young Indians are comfortably employed in high-paying positions in the growing technology industry.

The downside of this trend is the rapidly increasing rate of obesity in the country. Government health statistics indicate that a whopping 50% of the adult population in India is over their ideal body weight range, with 20% meeting the government?s standards for clinical obesity. Among affluent children and adolescents, the obesity rates hover around 10%, even as many poorer children continue to suffer from food insecurity and malnutrition.

A number of studies recently conducted in India demonstrate the significant toll that the growing obesity epidemic has had upon the public health in that country. For example, studies published in the last several years have linked obesity to increases in the prevalence of health problems such as asthma, Type 2 diabetes, back problems, and chronic pain.

Although impoverished countries face daunting public health challenges of their own, the health problems that are being encountered by countries on the rise, such as India and China, are also dire. Still, if a silver lining can be found in the growing rate of obesity in these countries, it may be that the increased research focus on obesity and weight loss will result in future breakthroughs that will facilitate weight loss for people struggling with obesity all over the world.

New Research Targets Most Effective Weight Loss Plans and Diets

As schools let out across the country and the summer vacation season kicks into high gear, more and more people are desperately seeking the miracle diet that will get them into top shape before it?s time to don those Speedo trunks or itsy-bitsy bikinis. Fortunately, recent research findings have shed new light on which of the hundreds of weight loss plans out there are most effective. This week, we?ll take a look at what three recently published studies had to say about the best way to lose weight.

Smaller Meals May be Overrated as a Weight Loss Strategy

For decades, nutrition experts and diet gurus have advocated the practice of breaking one?s daily food intake into several smaller meals spread across the day, rather than sticking to the traditional practice of eating three heavier meals. The logic behind this suggestion was that eating smaller meals more frequently would decrease hunger and curb overeating, perhaps even resulting in less calorie consumption over the course of a day.

However, the findings of one recent study call this long-revered piece of dieting wisdom into question. According to the research team at Children?s Hospital in Boston, breaking a meal up into smaller portions did not appear to impact the calories consumed by the subjects in the experiment.

The researchers served a fast food chicken nugget combination meal to a group of 18 overweight teens. Whether the meal was served all at once, in four separate portions served all at once, or in four separate portions served 15 minutes apart, the teens ate approximately the same amount of food each time. None of the alternate portioning strategies appeared to impact the amount of calories the teen subjects consumed. In addition, none of the subjects consumed an entire meal at one sitting, no matter which portion sizes were served. This suggests that hunger, rather than portion perception, may guide caloric consumption.

Researchers Begin to Unravel the Mystery of Hit-or-Miss Low-Fat Diets

For years, the standard assumption was that if you wanted to shed excess pounds, you had to eliminate excess fat from your diet. For decades, the default diet plan that doctors, nutritionists, and diet gurus alike recommended was based on a model of very low fat intake.

It makes sense on an intuitive level -- if you want to lose fat, you should eat less of it. But there was only one major problem -- the low-fat approach to dieting didn?t seem to work for everybody. It was assumed that those who succeeded on a low-fat weight loss regimen were able to do so because they were more motivated, more determined, and had more willpower than their less-successful counterparts.

The findings of a recently-published study are calling these long-held assumptions into question, however. In the May 16th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, study results were released that indicated why low-fat diets may not be effective for everyone who attempts them.

According to the researchers, overweight individuals tend to carry the bulk of their weight in different ways. Two of the main body types seen in obese individuals are apple shapes (large abdomen) and pear shapes (curvier bodies, with weight more evenly distributed). The study found that these two types of body weight patterns may be linked to different chemical compounds that can impact diet success. Generally speaking, apple-shaped individuals tend to have a higher blood insulin level than do their pear-shaped counterparts.

The researchers found that apple-shaped people experienced more weight loss success when they used a low-glycemic weight loss program, rather than a low-fat program. This type of plan emphasizes whole grains and other foods that do not result in sharp increases in blood sugar. Future studies will attempt to build on these findings to further pinpoint the most effective weight loss plans for different body types.

One Researcher Says a Healthy Dose of Realism Can Spark Diet Success

When it comes to mounting an effective weight loss effort, we are often our own worse enemies, according to a researcher at McGill University in Montreal. Barbel Knauper, a psychology professor, has undertaken a number of recent studies geared to assess the factors that can cause diets to succeed or fail.

After interviewing 132 women about their diets, Knauper developed several suggestions to increase the chances for weight loss success. They include:

• Stick to small, realistic goals, such as losing 1-2 lbs. a week

• Keep your diet ?rules? as simple as possible, such as ?eat less, exercise more?

• Make a plan if you are attending a social event where food will be served

• Pick a physician, friend, or family member to be your coach and help you stay accountable, and then check in with periodic progress reports

No matter which way you choose to lose weight this summer, do it in a sensible, consistent way that will boost your overall health. Happy dieting!