Metabolism not to blame for weight regain, study says
By Anne Burke; HEALTHSCOUT.COM; Tucson, Arizona Sunday, 19 November 2000
If you're a dieter who likes to play the blame game, stand by for some bad news:
It's not your metabolism that causes you to regain lost pounds, claims a new study.
This idea - known as the set-point theory - has become a favorite explanation for many dieters searching for something to blame for their gaining back weight they'd lost.
But the theory was never true to begin with, the researchers say.
Still, there's a bright side.
"Our findings should be seen as good news in that they suggest that we are not destined to regain lost weight due to some internal, uncontrollable metabolic factors," says Dr. Roland Weinsier, director of the Clinical Nutrition Research Center at the University of Alabama.
Lower metabolic rate
According to the set-point theory, we're doomed to regain lost weight. That's because our body lowers our metabolic rate after we shed pounds, pushing our weight back up to its pre-diet level.
But researchers found no difference in the resting metabolic rates of overweight women before and after they lost weight.
Our metabolic rate is the number of calories we burn at rest.
Moreover, the metabolic rates of the overweight women were identical to those of women who had never been overweight and had no tendency to put on weight, the researchers say. The findings appear in the November issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The study followed 24 overweight, postmenopausal women for four years.
Average weight loss
The women lost an average of 28.6 pounds, and their resting metabolic rates decreased significantly in response to dieting - which the researchers had predicted.
But once the women started consuming sufficient calories to maintain their new weight, their metabolism, after an adjustment for body composition, was similar to that of the women who didn't have a weight problem.
Even after four years, their metabolic rates were not much different from before they'd regained the weight. During this four-year period, the women had regained an average of 24 pounds,
Weinsier believes the set-point theory gained currency because scientists measured metabolic rates immediately after a dieter had cut back on calories, instead of waiting long enough for the person's energy balance to be restored. The theory attracted a big following, however.
"It's a nice kind of theory that takes the responsibility away from both the patient and the provider of care by saying this is a natural response of the body," Winnick said, adding, "and there's nothing we can do about it."
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