New research shows that eating more potato chips and French fries and watching too much TV are likely to lead to a bigger weight gain over the years than the weight change associated with eating more of other foods.
The study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, is different because it quantifies how much weight a person is likely to gain or lose over four years based on one additional daily serving of a range of specific foods. Eating more potatoes correlated with a gain of 1.28 pounds, with French fries in particular associated with a 3.35-pound gain.
On the other hand over a four year period one additional daily serving of certain foods was associated with weight loss. These include yoghurt (0.82 pounds), nuts (0.57 pounds), fruits (0.49 pounds), whole grains (0.37 pounds) and vegetables (0.22 pounds).
The authors say their study points to a different kind of dietary advice for avoiding extra pounds associated with aging. “This suggests that the path to eating fewer calories is not simply to count calories, but to focus on consuming a more healthy diet in general,” the study's lead author, Dariush Mozaffarian, associate professor in the department of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, said.
The team looked at three separate long-term studies covering 120,877 women and men who weren't obese and who were healthy when the studies began. (They were mostly white, educated and in the U.S.) Scientists analyzed periodic lifestyle and diet questionnaires the participants filled out over the years and identified items associated with weight gain or loss.
Results showed that one additional daily serving of potato chips was associated with a 1.69-pound gain; sugary drinks, processed meat and red meat were associated with about a one-pound gain. Big jumps in physical activity were associated with smaller weight gains, and increased TV-viewing with bigger gains.
Marion Nestle, New York University professor of nutrition and public health, said it is surprising that potato products were linked with more weight gain than desserts like cake, cookies and doughnuts, which contribute the most calories to the American diet, other research shows. She says she suspects people who eat potato chips and fries also tend to eat too much in general, making these foods markers for a diet leading to weight gain.
In a statement, the American Beverage Association said that the industry is committed to anti-obesity efforts, noting several other foods were associated with bigger weight gains than sugar-sweetened drinks. The National Potato Council was unavailable for comment. A Frito-Lay spokesman had no comment.
Dr. Mozaffarian said “These small choices add up…Because the weight gain is so gradual and occurs over many years, it has been difficult for scientists and for individuals themselves to understand the specific factors that may be responsible.” “The idea that there are no 'good' or 'bad' foods is a myth that needs to be debunked,” said Frank Hu of Harvard, who worked on the research. Mozaffarian said different foods have a different effect on the body. “You can't just say a calorie is a calorie. It doesn't address your feelings of fullness, your blood glucose levels, your blood insulin levels and the other biological responses in your body,” he said.
More than a third of adults and nearly 17 percent of children in the United States are obese, increasing their chances of developing health problems including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease and some cancers. Obesity-related diseases account for nearly 10 percent of U.S. medical spending, or an estimated $147 billion a year.
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