When Fruits, Veggies Aren't Enough

Ah, the start of the new year. It's that time of year we all look forward to what the future will bring, and hope that it's better than last year. It's also when it's harder to find a parking space at the gym and people are loading up their plates with healthier foods.

However, a new study from Umeå University in Sweden, reported eating a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables may not be enough to stave off the weight gain that comes with age (2012 Jan;95(1):184-93). This study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, highlights the need for other diet and lifestyle interventions, which could include supplements. I think this is a great marketing piece for weight management companies to address the fact that sometimes, salads aren't enough.

Fruit and vegetable consumption is still good because of their nutrients and fiber, but this large study, which included participants from 10 European countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study, showed more fruit and vegetable intakes did not substantially influence midterm weight change compared to diets lower in plant foods, but equal in calories.

In the study, researchers evaluated questionnaires from 373,803 participants. Weight was measured at baseline and self-reported at follow-up in most centers. The researchers then assessed associations between baseline fruit and vegetable intakes (per 100 g/d) and weight change (g/y) after a mean follow-up of five years.

After exclusion of subjects with chronic diseases at baseline and subjects who were likely to misreport energy intakes, baseline fruit and vegetable intakes were not associated with weight change overall. However, the study reported some other interesting findings:

Baseline fruit and vegetable intakes were inversely associated with weight change in men and women who quit smoking during follow-up.

Vegetable intake and weight change were weakly positively associated in women who were overweight, were former smokers or had "high prudent" dietary pattern scores.

Fruit intake and weight change were weakly inversely associated in women who were less than 50 years old, were of normal weight, were never smokers or had" low prudent" dietary pattern scores.

I can't explain why fruits and vegetables would curb weight loss for smokers who had just quit, why vegetables would be linked to weight gain in some women or why fruit would help other women maintain their weight. The researchers couldn't explain this either. (I also don't know exactly what the researchers meant by low or high prudent dietary scores.)

But what the study does point to is that a healthy diet alone cannot stop the mid-life weight gain. Combining that healthy diet with exercise and supplementation may just do the trick, however. Natural ingredients can help cut weight gain in a number of ways: they can help suppress appetite, increase metabolism or block certain substances—such as carbs or fats—from being absorbed.

For more on how natural ingredients can help those keep the weight off in 2012 and beyond, check out INSIDER's article, "Ingredients for Improved Weight Management" by Steve Myers.

Here's hoping to a great 2012 where the scale is the same—or even less than—as it is now.