Eat This and You Won't Gain Weight

Women who eat whole grains and shun highly-processed refined grains gain less weight as they age, according to a 12-year Harvard University study of 74,000 middle-aged women who were between the ages of 38 and 63 when the research began, reports Reuters.

Those with the highest fiber intake, especially from such foods as oatmeal and whole-grain breakfast cereals, were half as likely as those with the lowest intake to become obese over the 12-year study period. But the women whose diets were heavily laden with refined grains, such as pasta and white bread, gained more weight over time. The results included the effects of alcohol intake and exercise.

The big takeaway from this study is that not all carbohydrates are alike, study leader Simin Liu explained to Reuters. Carbs containing whole grains are much more filling than highly-processed carbohydrate products, so people who choose brown rice over white rice or oatmeal over a doughnut are more likely to eat less--and gain less weight in the process. In addition, whole grains create a slow, sustained release of sugar into the blood, unlike starchy grains that trigger a rapid increase in blood sugar. This slower release is thought to be beneficial for metabolism and fat storage.

Liu explained to Reuters that whole grains contain enzyme inhibitors that may get in the way of metabolic efficiency. That means the body is forced to burn extra calories just to digest and absorb whole-grain foods.

Here's the tough part: Most of the grain products Americans eat are highly processed, low in fiber, and packed with calories. That means we have to learn how to distinguish fiber-containing whole grains from refined ones.

The study findings were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.


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Lad,
Where do you find all these articles? You certainly do link to some interesting ones.

Getting into the habit of eating all those whole grains is not easy in our US-Canadian culture. Now, even kids are eating fast foods for lunch at school. I keep trying to include more whole grains and I actually enjoy many grains. But getting those grains in foods I haven't prepared myself or purchased from the local natural food/grocery store is nearly impossible.

I have noticed more and more soy products and some whole grain products in the mass-market stores, but it is still soooo much easier to get the over-processed/over-refined products.

At least oatmeal is easy enough to get. I eat it frequently as cereal and granola and added to cookies and crumbles and breads.

Great article............I have switched from toast and margerine in the mornings to whole grain cereal and low-fat milk. I feel better and definitely have more energy................42

I pretty much eat this way - of course there is always room for improvement! I maintain my weight and it's about at the right weight for my age, but I would like to be a little slimmer! I need to exercise.

I was trying to cut down on coffee and caffiene, but not winning so far!

Thanks!

great article

Thanks Ladskater!

Hi Lad,

A book I'm reading says you should be drinking some coffee or tea with those whole grains. Bennett Alan Weinberg and Bonnie K. Bealer wrote "The World of Caffeine" and "The Caffeine Advantage." I'm reading the advantage book. According to them, caffeine increases your metabolism and is useful for losing weight.

They say, have a caffeine pill with your coffee before eating and you'll eat less and burn more calories.

"In addition to reducing your appetite and increasing your metabolism, caffeine can help you lose weight by increasing lipolysis, or fat burning, especially when you are exercising. This means that caffeine literally helps to speed up the rate at which fat is eliminated from your body."

After all those dread and doom books, a study just came out that reported a decreased risk of Type 2 diabetes. OK, so women benefitted less from that study's six cups of java. I've decided to go back to regular coffee after being totally decaffed for a few months. Especially since no one can show me an article that proves caffeine increases hypertension, heart attack and stroke risks. Shoot, even I can easily find studies that say the diabetes alone is a risk. If losing weight and exercising is supposed to lessen or even reverse type 2 diabetes, then I say, another cup, please.

Weird, I need the boost of caffeine. I felt deprived on decaf. My New Year's Resolution: find out if I can go back to regular coffee and not feel guilty about doing so. If these people are to be believed, coffee's benefits could outweigh (pun intended) the risks. I guess that means if you're looking for a reason NOT to cut out the caffeine, stop feeling guilty and tell the doom and gloom folks they don't know what they're talking about.

Ladskater...

Thanks for posting all the interesting links you've been coming across. I think the "all carbs are not equal" theory is right on the money. When I'm at my best (not lately, but I'm back on this wagon now) I eat a relatively low carb diet. That does NOT mean I eat bacon all day and no fiber, etc. etc. (most of my fiber comes from vegetables).

One of the interesting things I came across in my own research is something called the Glycemic Index. This has to do with how quickly after eating a particular food blood sugar is released into the blood stream via the digestive process. Blood sugar levels tie to insulin release which ties to fat storage etc. etc. (my layman's basic way of describing this). Foods that release high levels of sugar into the bloodstream quickly are high on the Glycemic index, and the pancreas is forced to produce high levels of insulin quickly to bring blood sugars back to normal. This takes it's toll on the pancreas over time, and takes it's toll on the body's ability to handle all this. I believe this "spiking" is one of the reasons that many of us have no weight problem no matter what we eat for a long time, and then suddenly it catches up. It's a warning sign that the blood sugar / insulin dynamics are getting broken.
(all this leads towards Type II Diabetes not to mention weight gain)

Some examples of high Glycemic index foods:

White bread (or even most bread that is called whole wheat just to fool us)
Potatoes
White rice
Pears, apples, bananas and many other fruits
Most off the shelf pasta
Anything loaded with sugar or sugar alternatives (fructose, etc.)

Some examples of lower Glycemic index foods:

Fruits in the berry family (strawberries, rasberries, etc.)
Veggies like brocolli, cauliflower, greens, radishes, many many of them
Oatmeal (the long cooking kind)
Nuts, nut flours, nut butters in moderation

Supposedly and interestingly (to me anyway) FAT does not affect blood sugar / insulin issues at all. Neither does protein food (although excess protein does convert to glucose at a less efficient rate than carbs do)

For anyone who doesn't already have a screwed up metabolism as relates to blood sugar / insulin issues. NOW is the time to learn more about all this and adjust accordingly. The longer you wait the more limited your options become to avoid Type II Diabetes, weight problems, etc.

I am NOT putting myself out here as an expert. If anyone is interested in more info on this subject, I can provide some Web links and also a list of good books to read.

Whatever plans we believe in, try, and learn more about, let's all get healthier in 2004!

DG

I know I was taught that your liver converts sugar to fat. Also, the diabetes classes my husband went to, said that fat encapsulates the (oh-oh- I forgot what you called them) whatever the insulin is in. Anyway, that way your insulin can't get out to work. Guess I will find out in a couple of weeks when I go to my class if that still holds true. A nurse told me that when you diet you need to drink a lot of water to release all the poisons from your body when your fat goes away. Or something like that.

Hi Grgranny...

Yes that water is mighty important always, but especially when working towards weight loss.

Like I said before, I'm no expert and am not putting myself out there as one. But since you mention going to Diabetes classes, you might want to give Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution a read. Very interesting. If nothing else it will probably help you formulate some interesting questions for your medical team.

Best wishes.

DG