New research report: Why your diet isn't working

9 REASONS WHY YOUR NEW YEAR’S DIET ISN’T WORKING How calorie reduction affects appetite While new year dieting advice abounds, why do so many of us still struggle with our weight? Even if we lose a few Christmas induced pounds we still find it difficult to keep the weight off. The World Health Organisation says there is currently a “global epidemic of obesity” but with diet plans aplenty, what is fuelling this? In a quest for answers, Natures Remedies Ltd, the manufacturer of diet aid Zotrim, sponsored leading eating behaviour scientists at University of Liverpool to review the scientific literature on the effects of calorie restrictive diets*. The resulting report examines the consequences of calorie reduction on appetite and on resultant psychological and metabolic changes. Nine key dieting limitations: 1. EVOLUTION Avoiding starvation was a key evolutionary factor for early Homo sapiens. The review confirms that as we reduce our calorie intake our body and brain fight back in an attempt to sustain good nutrition. In the past this enabled storage for times of shortage but today we are unfortunately not programmed to lose weight when food is freely and permanently available, especially when we are sedentary with no need to expend energy in obtaining food. 2. AS WE LOSE WEIGHT OUR APPETITE INCREASES Both human and animal studies confirm the anecdotal evidence from dieters and clinicians that calorie restriction results in a compensatory increase in appetite as the body fights to reverse the process. 3. AS WE DIET OUR BODY USES FEWER CALORIES IN SUSTAINING ITSELF In an attempt to compensate for reduced calorie intake our basal metabolic rate decreases - potentially leading to feeling sluggish and being less active. 4. INCREASED PREOCCUPATION WITH FOOD Research confirms that dieters have a greater pre-occupation with food, stronger urges to eat more frequently and a greater feeling of being out of control with their eating. 5. IMPAIRED COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMD DEPRESSION A number of studies have indicated that dieters have impaired cognitive function and slower reaction time compared to non-dieters. Increased depression has also been observed in dieters. 7. POOR RESTRAINT Restraint over food intake was found to be weak in dieters following exposure to appealing energy dense foods provoking over-consumption and abandoning dietary resolve. 8. POOR SELF-IMAGE Dieters consider weight and body shape to be of high importance compared to non-dieters; failed weight loss attempts are therefore damaging to a dieter’s overall self-image. 9. METABOLIC CHANGES It is recognised that controls impacting on eating behaviour at the metabolic, hormonal and physiological levels are highly complex and not completely understood. However, studies are pointing to the ‘eating hormone’ leptin as playing a significant role. During dieting serum leptin levels have been shown to decrease thus signalling a need for increased food intake. The authors conclude that for dieters, increases in hunger and decreases in metabolic rate cause real barriers to success. They make a case for nutritional strategies that both: - prevent overfeeding by enhancing within-meal satiation and post meal satiety - stimulate metabolic rate to compensate for reduction induced by lower caloric intake Zotrim, an all-natural food supplement is a mixture of plant extracts that already has good evidence for inducing weight loss in a placebo-controlled study. It is thought to act both by reducing appetite and by the stimulatory effects of the plant extracts. Further placebo-controlled studies on the effect of Zotrim on food intake are now close to completion at University of Liverpool. The first results from these studies are expected to be available at the end of March. £21.95 – www.zotrim.com For more information, expert comment, samples and images contact: Hollie Thomson – CCD PR – 020 7434 4100 Hollie@ccdpr.com/ Joanne@ccdpr.com * Dr J.A. Harrold and Dr J.C.G. Halford (2009), The Nature of Weight Control and Energy Balance, the Metabolic and Behaviour Consequences of Calorie Restriction, and the Implications for Weight Control Products Including Zotrim.