Losing weight is often touted as a way to improve health, but many weight-loss programs may not help stave off disease since people tend to gain the weight back, Australian researchers say.
In a report in the International Journal of Obesity, they note the focus of such programs may need to change if they're really going to have a lasting effect.
To test the potential impact of different diets, the researchers ran two computer simulations: One included a low-fat diet, the other a diet rich in whole grains and vegetables plus 180 minutes of exercise per week.
According to the models, people lost an average of 8 to 12 pounds on the diets and kept the weight off for an average of 6 months. But the pounds slowly crept back on, and after less than 6 years, the dieters were back where they started -- negating any improvement in health from the weight loss.
In the US, 73 per cent of adults are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The extra pounds increase the risks for a multitude of ailments, including diabetes, heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, and some types of cancer. And according to the surgeon general, they rack up a yearly bill of $117 billion in the US, counting health care spending and lost productivity.
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