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Update From the Front Line - news about weight management from the American Dietetic Association

American Fitness, Sept, 2001 by Nancy Clark

News from the American Dietetic Association regarding the latest in weight management.

Weight management is a big issue for many active people. At the American Dietetic Association's Food and Nutrition Conference held in October, 2000, in Denver, Colorado, several ADA members presented research that applies to weight management for active people. Here are some of the highlights from the meeting.

Healthy Dinners

A Restaurant and Institutions' survey reports that about 70 percent of the population doesn't plan dinner until 4:00 p.m. or later. This is bad news for many athletes who exercise after work, have not planned dinner and arrive home "too hungry" to cook a good meal. The result is super-size portions of fast (and fatty) food, a lack of vegetables and the beginning (or continuation) of an eating pattern that can lead to weight gain.

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One Solution

The University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County has a Web site that provides information about making healthful food quickly. The "Cook It Quick" program (www.lanco.unl.edu/food) can help you get organized, plan meals in advance and perhaps improve your evening food intake.

Fad Diets

The "Zone Diet" is NOT more effective than a typical weight-reducing diet in promoting weight and body fat loss. A Ball State University study compared the dieting success of two groups of overweight women who were assigned to either a 40-30-30 (C-P-F) Zone Diet or a 60-15-25 traditional reduced- calorie diet for six weeks. Both groups demonstrated similar results in terms of body fat lost.

Total calorie intake, not type of calories, is the key factor determining weight and fat loss. The Zone simply offers a confusing program that helps dieters create a calorie deficit. A higher carb intake would better fuel muscles.

Body Composition

Many active people are curious about their body composition and wonder what percent of their weight is excess fat. They may also wonder about the accuracy of currently available methods to measure body fat.

A study from Indiana University of Pennsylvania compared body fat measurements among 30 female college athletes. Their fat was calculated by skinfold measurements, hand-to-foot bioelectrical impedance (BIA), foot-to-foot BIA (such as the Tanita scale), Futrex (one measurement on the arm) and underwater weighing.

When compared to underwater weighing (the "gold standard" for measuring body composition), skinfolds overpredicted body fat by 3 percent--and that was the most accurate of the methods! Foot-to-foot BIA overestimated body fat by 9 percent.

If you have your body fat measured, recognize you may get an inaccurate number. The best use of body fat measurements is to compare measurements taken over time, using the same method and measurer. The numbers will accurately reflect the relative changes in fat.

Rather than play a numbers game, why not focus on how you feel and how well you perform? That's what really matters. Leaner does not necessarily mean better.

The Cost of Thinness

Synchronized figure skating is a quickly growing sport. Like ballet and gymnastics, it is an "appearance judged" sport where leanness is valued. The question arises: What is the cost of being "perfectly thin"--that is, being thinner than nature's design?

A survey of 126 members of the United States Synchronized Skating Team suggests most of the skaters (who are already lean) expressed interest in losing weight--about 7.5 pounds on average. Their desire for "the perfect thinness" contributed to restricted food intake. Analysis of three-day food records suggests an average intake of only 1,550 calories (at least 500 fewer than might be expected). The resulting diets were below the recommended intake for the majority of nutrients.

The cost of being "perfectly thin" is commonly sub-optimal nutrition. If you, too, are restricting your intake to achieve the "perfect body," be sure to meet with a sports nutritionist who can help you balance thinness with an optimal diet. Otherwise, lack of protein, calories, calcium and iron may contribute to a plague of injuries and cut your athletic career short.

Amenorrhea and The Female Athlete Triad

Among female athletes, the prevalence of amenorrhea (the absence of three consecutive menstrual cycles per year) can be as high as 66 percent. Amenorrhea can be caused by inadequate nutritional intake, disordered eating, low body fat percentage, low body weight, high stress and/or over-training. The effects can be crippling: stress fractures, bone loss, scoliosis and early osteoporosis.

The combination of menstrual irregularities, disordered eating and the consequent loss of bone density is termed "the female athlete triad." In a study of 30 female distance runners, 28 (93 percent) were affected by at least one component of the triad and five (17 percent) were affected by all three. Ninety-three percent of the women underconsumed calories (they reported eating 1,800 calories, yet burned 2,950 calories), 50 percent reported a history of drastic weight loss methods, 60 percent had menstrual irregularities and 60 percent had low spinal bone mass.

Update From the Front Line - news about weight management from the American Dietetic Association

American Fitness, Sept, 2001 by Nancy Clark

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