New Study Links Weight Loss to Healthy Eating

Amount and quality of food work better for weight loss.

In recent years, more research has connected healthy eating to better weight loss results. Now we have another US study that has connected healthy eating being better than a person’s genetics for weight loss. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

We’ve all heard the expression before. Our weight is in our genetics, right? Researchers at Stanford University decided to test that theory. The research conducted a randomized control trial involving 609 overweight adults. They all underwent genetic and insulin testing before being randomly assigned to either a low-fat or low-carb diet for 12 months.

Gene analyses identified variations linked with how the body processes fats or carbohydrates. But weight loss averaged around 5kg to 6kg at follow-up regardless of genes, insulin levels or diet type.

Researchers concluded that healthy eating made all the difference.

Participants who ate the most vegetables and consumed the fewest processed foods, sugary drinks and unhealthy fats lost the most weight. This shouldn’t seem like news, but it is when we take to analyzing the theory that genetics has more control than our habits.

Participants were advised to focus on high-quality foods. There were no calorie limits placed and they were not provided specific foods. Any results reported are based on what participants reported eating.

Prof Lennert Veerman from the School of Medicine at Griffith University in Queensland said:

“We eat to fill our stomach and, if that’s with vegetables, we tend to lose weight, whereas if it’s with chocolate or French fries, flushed down with a soda, we gain weight.”

The Takeaway

Ultimately, when it all comes down to it, healthier eating habits may be the key to achieving weight loss. If we want to make a difference to our bodies, what we put into it can make all of the difference.

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