This is what Nutrition science and latest research says about weight loss - 1. 25-30% of obese people are metabolically healthy. i.e. their blood sugars, cholesterol, etc., are well regulated. However, when people lose weight quickly through dieting, not only do they gain the weight back, but now they are no longer metabolically healthy. They are at a 150% higher risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. A good indicator of unhealthy weight loss is if you lose too much weight from the thigh area (very thin legs). Losing about 5-10% of your total weight in an year is considered healthy and sustainable.
2. Losing weight through unsustainable diets, fasting, etc., especially when you are already metabolically weak, i.e. suffering from diabetes, cancer, etc., is that much more harmful.
3. Meal frequency is positively linked to healthy weight loss. Regular meals throughout the day lead to better metabolic health and sustainable weight loss in long term. Especially important is to have an early breakfast (before 9 am) and an early lunch (before 2 pm).
4. Maintaining gut bacteria diversity is crucial for overall health and weight loss. A meal with a combination of probiotics + prebiotics, along with short chain fatty acids (SCFA), is the ideal meal to increase satiety, reduce inflammation, prevent infections and maintain intestinal integrity. In other words, traditional Indian meals, like dal-chawal- ghee or khichdi with dahi, pickle, etc., are perfectly suited for gut health and healthy weight loss.
5. Governments and policy makers should make “Food based” diet guidelines and not “nutrient based”, so that the general public doesn’t get confused between carbs/ fats/ proteins and instead finds health and joy in eating local, seasonal, traditional foods.
The overall message –
- losing weight is not important, metabolic health is the key
- dieting leads to increased risk of cancer, diabetes, etc.
- follow traditional diet patterns and don’t decide food based on carbs/ protein/ fat
Highlights from the recently concluded European Nutrition conference in Dublin, Ireland. More than 1700 delegates from 70+ countries attended this once in four-year conference which is at the frontier of Nutrition science and research. You can check the details of sessions and research presented here -
#weightloss #FENS2019
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