It is the perfect excuse for the reluctant dieter: Losing weight is bad for you. To be slightly fat and eat a balanced diet is far healthier, it seems.
The idea that weight is harmful has been ‘exaggerated’ and heavy people may actually live longer, say researchers.
The study suggests that the obese put their health in greater danger when they obsessively try to slim down.
Startling claim: Researchers say that society¿s obsession with dieting often leads to people becoming fatter
It recommends people should eat a varied and balanced diet, and take ‘enjoyable’ amounts of exercise – even if they still end up carrying a few extra pounds.
The researchers, who include an NHS dietician, claim that society’s obsession with dieting is ‘ineffective’ and often leads to people becoming fatter as they crave food and binge.
Their study, published in the Nutrition Journal, includes analysis of 350,000 people in the U.S.
It claims there is evidence to show that overweight people live longer than normal. Those who are obese in old age also tend to live longer than elderly people who are thin.
They are also more likely to survive certain health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and kidney failure.
Although it is well-known that obesity puts people at higher risk of heart disease and other illnesses, the researchers say that ‘being fat’ is not the cause.
Instead, they blame poor diet and lack of exercise – which almost always come with obesity.
They say that rather than obsessing with dieting, people would be in far better health if they learn to accept their bodies and took better care of themselves.
This would involve eating a wide range of nutritious foods rather than restricting themselves to a set number of calories.
Limited diet: Poor diet and lack of exercise may be to blame for health problems, not being overweight, new research shows
They should also take regular exercise in sessions that they can enjoy.
In addition, the researchers say that people should learn to listen to their bodies’ natural signals of being hungry and feeling full.
Researcher Linda Bacon, of California University, said that although health professionals mean well when they suggest people lose weight, ‘our analysis indicates that researchers have long interpreted research data through a biased lens’.
‘When the data are reconsidered without the common assumption that fat is harmful, it is overwhelmingly apparent that fat has been highly exaggerated as a risk for disease or decreased longevity.
‘For decades, the U.S. public health establishment and $58.6 billion-a-year
private weight-loss industry have focused on health improvement through weight loss.
‘The result is unprecedented levels of body dissatisfaction and failure in achieving desired health outcomes.
‘The weight-focused approach does not, in the long run, produce thinner, healthier bodies.’
Fellow researcher, and NHS dietician, Lucy Aphramor, of Coventry University, added: ‘Money would be better spent on campaigns to help people develop a healthy relationship with food.’
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