1. Men lose weight faster than women
Results from a 16-month study looking at exercising for weight loss, with men
and women completing an identical amount of exercise, show that men, on
average, lost 11.5lb (5.2kg) while women lost nothing. According to a
Princeton University report, the theory is that it may be due to an
evolutionary effect. “Nature seems protective of women’s role as childbearer
and wants women to maintain adequate body fat for nourishing healthy babies.
Hence, women are much more energy-efficient,” the researchers say
Verdict: true
2. Exercise makes you eat more
There is a belief that exercise is futile as a form of weight control because
it increases hunger and you simply eat more. “This is a myth,” says an
Aberdeen University report. “Studies have shown that, for most people doing
moderate or intense exercise, there is no immediate or automatic increase in
hunger and eating. This means that taking up exercise will cause an energy
imbalance that leads to weight loss,’’ the researchers say.
Verdict: false
3. Drinking water helps you to lose weight
Drinking at least eight 0.25l glasses of cold water a day will help you to
lose weight, according to a University of Minnesota report. Not only does
water suppress appetite, by making the stomach feel fuller, it can lower
your weight. “If you don’t drink enough, your body thinks it’s in danger and
tries to hold on to all the water it can get. The water is stored between
the cells and shows up as extra weight. Without water, your kidneys can’t do
their job properly and your liver must pitch in to help. While drinking
water is helping the kidneys, your liver can’t burn as much fat, so some of
the fat that would normally be used as fuel gets stored in your body
instead,’’ the researchers say.
Verdict: true
4. Running is bad for the knees
Not so, according to a 14-year study of 800 runners and nonrunners approaching
old age. The Stanford University study showed that people who had been
runners had 25 per cent less knee and other musculoskeletal pain than people
who had led sedentary lives. “Our findings add to the evidence that
morbidity associated with ageing can be reduced by participating in regular
aerobic exercise,’’ the scientists say.
Verdict: false
5. Diets can’t do any harm
Losing weight at a rapid rate – more than 3lb a week after the first couple of
weeks – may increase the risk of gallstones, and diets that provide fewer
than 800 calories a day can lead to heart rhythm abnormalities, says the US
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Verdict: false
6. Lemon juice dissolves fat
Although a good source of vitamin C, it won’t dissolve the fat in fatty foods,
says the Food Standards Agency. “The best way to get rid of the fat on meat
is to cut it off or choose leaner cuts,’’ the agency says.
Verdict: false
7. Skipping breakfast causes weight gain
People who miss breakfast are more likely to put on weight, according to a
number of researchers. A study at Wageningen University, in Holland, looking
at lifestyle differences and weight trends in more than 35,000 Dutch
adolescents, showed that those who skipped breakfast were 2.2 times more
likely to be overweight. “The most important risk factor for overweight and
obesity was skipping breakfast,’’ say the researchers. A study at Harvard
Medical School of 6,000 men found that those who ate breakfast reduced the
risk of putting on weight by a quarter.
Verdict: true
8. Low fat means low calories
A common misconception is that low-fat and fat-free foods are also low in
calories. According to the US National Institutes of Health, many processed
low-fat or fat-free foods have as many as, or in some cases, more calories
than full-fat food because they have more sugar and other high-calorie
compounds added to improve flavour and texture, which can deteriorate when
fat is removed. So, if you’re trying to lose weight, remember to check the
calorie content of even low-fat foods.
Verdict: false
9. Starchy food is fattening
Many foods high in starch – such as bread, rice, and pasta – are themselves
low in fat and calories. “They become high in fat and calories when eaten in
large portion sizes or when covered with high-fat toppings,” says the US
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Verdict: false
10. Fat-burning foods
Claims that celery and some other foods can “burn” calories are unfounded,
according to the US National Institutes of Health. “No foods can burn fat.
Some foods with caffeine may speed up your metabolism for a short time, but
they do not cause weight loss,’’ it says.
Verdict: false
11. Exercise causes acne
Claims that exercise and sweat can cause a form of acne are unfounded. The
claims date back 30 years to research which suggested that sportsmen had
particular patterns of body acne that might be linked to a combination of
the effects of sweat and the mechanical forces on the skin. But researchers
at Stanford University School of Medicine have debunked the claims with
results showing no link. “Exercise-induced sweat occlusion does not have a
significant influence on acne,” they say.
Verdict: false
12. Protein promotes muscle growth
It’s a myth that a high-protein diet will promote muscle growth, according to
researchers at Baylor University. “Many people feel athletes need a
high-protein diet to support muscle growth, but researchers have repeatedly
proved this to be false. Only strength training and exercise will lead to
muscle changes,” they say.
Verdict: false
13. Lifting weights makes you bulky
Many women are put off weight-lifting as an exercise to lose weight because of
concerns about bulking up. According to the US National Institutes of
Health, lifting weights, push-ups and crunches regularly can help to lose
weight. The institute says that exercising two to three days a week will not
lead to bulking: “Only intense strength training, combined with a certain
genetic background, can build very large muscles.’’
Verdict: false
14. No sweat, no weight loss
This is a myth, according to researchers in Baylor University, Texas. They say
it is possible to burn a significant number of calories without breaking
into a sweat. Dancing, for example, burns up 330 calories an hour, the same
as weeding the garden, while walking gets rid of about 280 calories an hour.
Verdict: false
15. You’re risking a heart attack
It’s a popular belief that exercise can increase the risk of a heart attack.
But research in the Canadian Medical Association Journal suggests that doing
nothing is more risky. It shows that men who exercise strenuously for two
hours and 20 minutes a week have a 40 per cent lower risk of heart problems.
“Sudden cardiac death during or after exercise is extremely rare, and
physicians should not stop patients from taking part in a regular exercise
programme,’’ say the authors of the report in the journal.
Verdict: false
16. Don’t eat late at night
It’s a myth that late-night eating leads to weight gain, according to a study
at Oregon University. No matter when you eat, the body will store those
extra calories as fat. “We’ve all been told at one point in our lives that
we should avoid eating meals late at night as it will lead to weight gain.
However, our research in rhesus monkeys, which are considered an excellent
model for studying primate obesity issues, shows that eating at night is no
more likely to promote weight gain than eating during the day,” says Dr Judy
Cameron.
Verdict: false
17. Slash-and-burn diets don’t work
Cutting out too many calories too quickly can be disastrous, according to a
University of California report. “Your metabolism slows down. Your body
slows down to adapt to the lower calorie intake, so it can function with
less fuel, and it actually begins holding on to every calorie you eat and
storing it as fat. This is why people who diet, usually gain back their
weight once they start eating normally again,’’ it says. When calories are
cut too low, it is mostly water, rather than fat, that is lost, and the body
starts breaking down its own muscle protein for fuel, slowing the metabolism
even further.
Verdict: true
18. Fad diets work
The cabbage soup diet, the low-carbohydrate diet and the like all promise to
fight fat and shrink stomachs. But, according to a US Food and Drug
Administration report, they are not recommended for losing weight. “Fad
diets usually overemphasise one particular food or type of food,
contradicting the guidelines for good nutrition. They may work at first
because they cut calories, but they rarely have a permanent effect,’’ it
says.
Verdict: false
19. Nuts make you fat
Some weight-loss plans restrict nut consumption, but research at the Loma
Linda University, in California, shows that eating 20g to 56g of walnuts
every day for six months did not result in weight gain, although the nuts
added 133 calories to daily intake. “It is a myth that you should not eat
nuts if you want to lose weight. In small amounts, nuts can be part of a
healthy weight-loss program. Nuts are good sources of protein, fibre, and
minerals.”
Verdict: false
20. It's all in my genes
Recent studies have shown that our genes can influence obesity. People who
inherit one version of a gene called FTO are 70 per cent more likely to be
obese than those who inherit another. And there are seven more genetic
regions that influence body weight. However, of the seven variants
identified, five are active in the brain. The implication is that they
affect obesity not by changing people's metabolisms, but their behaviour.
For example you may have a gene that increases appetite. In that case, we
cannot lazily blame DNA for an expanding waistline. There is nothing in our
biology to stop us from losing weight if we consume less calories and join a
gym. The task might be harder for people with one genetic profile than
another, but no gene compels us to have second helpings.
Verdict: false
