Harvard researchers studied more than 120,000 people to show that small changes in lifestyle behaviors- physical activity, sleep habits, television, etc. – are strongly related to long-term weight gain. But the most important factor of all was diet.
Researchers evaluated participants in three large health study groups (the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), the Nurses’ Health Study II (NHS II), and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study) zeroing in on people who were free of chronic diseases and not obese at the start of the evaluation process. They measured specific lifestyle factors and weight gain every four years, with follow-up times ranging from 12 to 20 years.
One key finding from the study (published in the New England Journal of Medicine) is that overall dietary quality- eating less refined sugars and refined grains and more minimally processed foods- is likely more important to long-term health than monitoring total calorie or fat intake or other nutritional markers.
In an interesting angle, the researchers were able to attribute how much weight gain or loss could be attributed to additional daily servings of specific foods over the four year periods. Potato chips, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages and meats led the pack on the weight gain side, while vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fruit and yogurt all correlated with weight reduction.Harvard researchers studied more than 120,000 people to show that small changes in lifestyle behaviors- physical activity, sleep habits, television, etc. – are strongly related to long-term weight gain. But the most important factor of all was diet.
Researchers evaluated participants in three large health study groups (the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), the Nurses’ Health Study II (NHS II), and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study) zeroing in on people who were free of chronic diseases and not obese at the start of the evaluation process. They measured specific lifestyle factors and weight gain every four years, with follow-up times ranging from 12 to 20 years.
One key finding from the study (published in the New England Journal of Medicine) is that overall dietary quality- eating less refined sugars and refined grains and more minimally processed foods- is likely more important to long-term health than monitoring total calorie or fat intake or other nutritional markers.
In an interesting angle, the researchers were able to attribute how much weight gain or loss could be attributed to additional daily servings of specific foods over the four year periods. Potato chips, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages and meats led the pack on the weight gain side, while vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fruit and yogurt all correlated with weight reduction.
