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Educate your patients on the importance of 3-A-Day of Dairy: Here's
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tool (PDF: 618k) to show families how to get their 3-A-Day of Dairy
every day for stronger bones.
Developed in conjunction with The American Academy of Family
Physicians, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Dietetic
Association, and The National Medical Association.
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Dairy Council Digest Archives
Insights Into Weight Management
Summary
Despite the public's preoccupation with body weight, fitness, and the latest diet, obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. Almost one in five American adults is considered to be obese. Moreover, obesity has increased from 12% in 1991 to almost 18% in 1998. This increase in obesity is a major public health concern and a clinical challenge. Obesity increases the risk of chronic diseases, other health problems, and mortality. The serious health and economic consequences of obesity/overweight have led health professionals to seek answers to this current epidemic.
Overweight and obesity represent a positive energy balance resulting from a long-term intake of excess energy, reduced physical activity, or a combination of these factors. Genetic, environmental, psychological/social, and other factors influence body weight. There is no dispute that the rise in obesity is attributed in part to environmental factors such as the decline in physical activity in the U.S. In contrast, the role of diet and specific dietary components such as fat in weight management is controversial, in part because of factors associated with fat such as energy density and palatability. Energy density has been demonstrated to be a significant determinant of energy intake independent of dietary fat.
A potential role for glycemic index (i.e., the rise in blood glucose following a meal or carbohydrate-containing food compared to a standard) in weight management is under investigation. However, it is currently premature and impractical to recommend a diet based on its glycemic index to reduce the risk of obesity.
Preliminary research findings indicate that diets high in calcium from low fat dairy foods may reduce body fat and risk of obesity. In experimental animals, calcium has been demonstrated to decrease lipogenesis and increase lipolysis, thereby reducing body fat and weight gain. In humans, an inverse association has been found between calcium/dairy food intake and body fatness. Additional research is necessary to confirm a potentially protective role for calcium and low fat dairy foods in weight management. However, given that following energy reduced diets may cause bone loss, it is especially important to include recommended servings of calcium-rich, low fat dairy foods in these diets.
Dietary variety within some food groups and frequent eating away from home at restaurants are other potential dietary factors that may influence energy intake and body weight. A better understanding of how various dietary factors impact body weight can lead to more effective weight management strategies. In the meantime, federal guidelines to reduce or treat obesity recommend a combination of diet therapy (i.e., a reduction of 500 to 1000 kcal/day), increased physical activity (i.e., at least 30 minutes/day), and behavior therapy.
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