The Science Of Fighting Fat

We navigate through the minefield of misinformation to find out what the experts really say about losing weight. Turn to page 72 for smart tips on how to shed that spare tyre

- Simon Crompton

The statistics tell their own story. One in four people in England are now classified as obese, compared with one in six in the 1990s. Fifty-eight percent of women and 68 percent of men are now overweight.

Being overweight makes us less healthy: a new study published in Lancet Public Health shows a clear relationship between hospital admissions and body weight. But it also matters because being overweight makes many people unhappy.

A British Social Attitudes survey revealed that people who are overweight suffer significant stigma, and that 53 percent of the British public are intolerant, believing that most overweight people could lose weight if they tried. But the science shows that it’s not simply a matter of being weak-willed.

“There are very clear reward pathways for food in the brain, and so if something is rewarding and constantly available, why wouldn’t you?” explains Prof Susan Jebb, a nutrition scientist at Oxford University. “In busy and stressed lives, you have to make a constant conscious effort to say no.”

Fortunately, science is now providing some answers on weight control. Just a decade ago, there weren’t enough scientific diet trials to allow doctors and dietitians to provide evidence-backed advice. Now, there are clear scientific pointers on how to fight fat, and what the studies find may surprise you.

WHAT IS THE BEST DIET, ACCORDING TO SCIENCE?

When it comes down to it, the science of dieting is simple: eat less. You can do it with a low-fat diet (like the raw food diet), or a low-carb diet (like the Atkins or paleo diet). But the problem with diets is not so much losing weight, but finding a way to do it that is effective, safe, fits in with your lifestyle, and is sustainable so that your weight doesn’t rocket up again.