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Purdue research assistant Peg Johnson lost 50 pounds through a regimen of diet and exercise that started when she followed the dietary guidelines of a School of Consumer and Family Sciences clinical study. (Photo by Tom Campbell) |
While she was a stay-at-home mom of three for 12 years, Peg Johnson's weight crept up. In late 2002, divorced and with her children grown, she decided it was time to shape up.
Johnson had an advantage over the millions of Americans who struggle to lose weight—her job as a clinical nutrition research assistant in a Purdue University lab gave her access to some of the most current research regarding diet and health. She decided to follow the dietary guidelines of a School of Consumer and Family Sciences clinical study, which was based on eating cereal high in vitamins, minerals and fiber for two meals a day and one normal—but healthy—meal.
The first week, Johnson lost six pounds. The second week, at an out-of-town conference, she ate cereal in the morning, yogurt and salad at lunch, and a regular dinner, including wine. She lost another four pounds.
The taste of success whet her appetite for more. She joined a health club, using cardio and weight machines regularly. Within six months, she had lost 50 pounds—a weight she has since maintained. Now, she wears the same size jeans that she did in college. But the biggest payoffs have been weight loss, lowering her cholesterol from 200 to 151 and lowering her Body Mass Index (BMI) by five points.
Johnson's battle with her weight is an all-to-common occurrence in the United States today. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 64 percent of adults and 30 percent of children are either overweight or obese—double the amount of 20 years ago. Health-care costs related to obesity are a staggering $117 billion annually.
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Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
Weight- and fitness-related conditions are the second-leading cause of death in the United States, resulting in about 300,000 deaths each year. If current trends continue, obesity will surpass smoking as the nation's leading cause of preventable death. Purdue researchers and Extension specialists are at the forefront of the struggle to reverse these trends.
Change comes first
By maintaining a lower weight, Johnson has reduced her risk for a number of related health conditions. Overweight and obesity can result in cardiovascular disease; Type 2 diabetes; breast, prostate and colon cancer; apnea; stroke; gallstones; high blood pressure; high cholesterol; and joint problems, according to Richard Mattes, professor of foods and nutrition, who studies many aspects of diet and health.
There's no simple solution for overweight and obesity, says Mattes, whose research team focuses on weight regulation through intensive study of appetite, metabolism and energy expenditure. “The simple equation is energy in, energy out. The concept is simple, but the reality is complex,” he says. “So, it's not surprising that it's difficult for people to lose weight and sustain a lower weight.”
To help more Americans reach the goal of controlling their weight, Mattes and his colleague Wayne Campbell created the Purdue Resource for Integrative Dietetics and Exercise (PRIDE). Clinical studies conducted through PRIDE generate new information about diet, health and exercise, which is distributed to the community.
One way to decrease consumption of pound-producing food components, such as saturated fats and sugars, is to stop eating them for about eight to 12 weeks. “Preference for high levels of fat, sugar or salt in foods is dictated by frequency of exposure to a particular kind,” Mattes says. “If you don't allow yourself to eat foods high in fat, eventually you will come to prefer foods with lower levels of fat.”
This is a strategy that William Evers understands well. A Purdue Extension nutrition specialist and registered dietitian, Evers educates people about the importance of proper diet and exercise, and the health consequences of being overweight or obese. And it's a philosophy he has practiced at home.
"From the time my kids were maybe three, non-fat, dry milk has been the only milk in our house. Now, my sons are in their 30s, and they still drink it. To them, whole milk tastes like cream. To most people, whole milk has a pleasant taste, and skim milk is blue water. When you've been conditioned all your life to enjoy things that are higher in fats, a carrot or even an apple seems like nothing unless you put peanut butter on it.”
Evers works at the other end of the research spectrum by taking his knowledge about healthy food, exercise and the health consequences of overweight and obesity into the community. In 1993, he established the first computer-linked forum for Extension foods and nutrition specialists and other nutrition educators. The subscription service now allows more than 700 nutrition professionals from around the world to discuss topics related to diet, health and food safety. The participants include experts from the Cooperative State Extension Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Agricultural Library, the CDC, state health departments and the American Dietetic Association.
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