Keys to Keeping Weight Off as We Age

As we all age we typically notice that keeping weight off becomes more challenging.  So, is there anything we can do to help avoid this?  The good news is that recently a new study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that challenged the previous notion that it’s about calories in and calories out that matter.  What was found is that not all calories are the same.  Moreover, the study found that “all foods have complex mechanisms that help or hinder weight long-term.  The simple math of calories in versus calories burned is true if you’re testing food in a test tube.  But human beings are not just inert buckets to put calories in.”  In addition, the results showed that foods interact in a synergistic way – meaning that “we should not only emphasize specific protein-rich foods like fish, nuts and yogurt to prevent weight gain, but also focus on avoiding refined grains, starches and sugars in order to maximize the benefits of these healthful protein-rich foods, create new benefits for other foods like eggs and cheese, and reduce the weight gain associated with meats.”

Here are a few things to think about:

Protein Options:  It’s common for people to gain weight as they age, and typically this gain is seen in the mid-section, which can increase the risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.  There has been evidence supporting that a diet including fewer low-quality carbohydrates like white breads, potatoes, and sweets and higher in protein-rich foods may be more efficient for weight loss.  It would appear that yogurt, peanut butter, walnuts and other nuts, skinless chicken, and low-fat cheese and seafood were associated with weight loss.  On the flipside, meats, chicken with skin and regular cheese were associated with weight gain, so be careful.

Carbohydrate Quality:  Researchers found that there is a relationship between glycemic load (GL) and weight changes.  GL takes into account how rapidly a food boosts blood sugar, as well as the typical serving size.  For example High-GL foods such as white bread and white potatoes were linked with weight gain.  However, it’s not just about GL, fiber and whole grains also have an impact.  With that in mind, it’s important to look for foods whose ratio of total carbohydrates to fiber is 10:1 or less.  That would mean that a piece of white bread with 15 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber would have a ratio of 15:1, and therefore would not be a good choice.  To make things a little more complex, if you’re eating foods that are weight-promoting like meat and combining it with a low-GL food like broccoli it turns out that combination could decrease weight gain.  However, if you’re combining proteins linked with weight gain (meat) with high-GL foods (white pasta) the reverse is true, so that would be weight promoting.

Common Sense:  It turns out that the food we eat affects our brain’s reward systems, our insulin levels, liver function, microbiome, and fat-cell function.  We have a complex system to regulate our weight.  That’s why the calories from salmon and vegetables versus the calories from processed packaged foods have a different effect on your weight.  And, over time it’s more about diet quality rather than diet quantity.

Reference:  Smart Choices Key to Keeping Pounds Off as You Age, Health & Nutrition Letter, Tufts University, August 2015, Vol. 33, NO. 6. (pp.4-5.).