In a study published in the June 23, 2011, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that modest changes in specific foods and beverages, physical activity, TV-watching, and sleep duration were strongly linked to long-term weight gain. The changes in diet, in particular, had the strongest associations with differences in weight gain.
"An average adult gains about one pound per year. Because the weight gain is so gradual and occurs over many years, it has been difficult for scientists and for individuals themselves to understand the specific factors that may be responsible," said lead author Dariush Mozaffarian, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology at HSPH and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), and Harvard Medical School.
The researchers analyzed data from three separate large cohort groups with a focus on specific lifestyles factors and weight gain. Specific lifestyle factors were associated with weight gain ins all three studies.
The foods most associated with weight gain over the 20 year study period were potato chips, other potatoes, sugar sweetened beverages, unprocessed meats and processed meats. Most importantly, the foods associated with less weight gain when their intake was increased included vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts and yogurt.
The results indicated that focus on total calories may not be best yardstick to preventing weight gain. Focusing on a higher quality dietary intake by eating more healthful foods and beverages seems to have been the most important.
"These findings underscore the importance of making wise food choices in preventing weight gain and obesity," said Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at HSPH and senior author of the paper. "The idea that there are no 'good' or 'bad' foods is a myth that needs to be debunked."
Other lifestyle factors that influenced weight were the amount of physical activity, TV watching and getting 6-8 hours of sleep per night. In combination, weight-changes associated with any one lifestyle change were fairly small. However, together they added up, especially for diet. "Small dietary and other lifestyle changes can together make a big difference -- for bad or good," said Mozaffarian. "This makes it easy to gain weight unintentionally, but also demonstrates the tremendous opportunity for prevention. A handful of the right lifestyle changes will go a long way."
Susanna Neahusan, M.ed, RN
Dariush Mozaffarian, Tao Hao, Eric B. Rimm, Walter C. Willett, Frank B. Hu. Changes in Diet and Lifestyle and Long-Term Weight Gain in Women and Men. New England Journal of Medicine, 2011; 364 (25): 2392 http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1014296
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