Diet Trumps Exercise in Obesity Fight

Studies don't support connection between working out and slimming down

(NEWSER) - The idea that exercise is the key to shedding pounds is relatively modern—and a whole lot of hogwash, Gary Taubes argues in New York magazine. Though the theory that working out makes us lose weight has been around since the 1960s, scientific research has consistently shown that the relationship between weight and exercise is spurious. More»

(NEWSER) - Americans eat more than twice as much added sugar as doctors recommend, and they should cut back to battle obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease, researchers say. Added calories from processed sugar should total no more than 150 for men and 100 for women, the American Heart Association said today. Soft drinks are the top factor in added dietary sugar, and the recommendations are sure to rile their producers, Reuters reports. More»

The truth may not set you free—but it might make your pants looser

(NEWSER) - Nutritionist Joy Bauer, the "Today" show's diet editor, looks at some popular dieting myths—or are they?

1. Diet and exercise can transform fat into muscle: The one can't become the other.
2. Metabolism slows with age, and there's nothing you can do about it: Exercise can maintain your burn.

We burn fewer calories on the job than people in the 1960s

(NEWSER) - You'll want to sit down for this—wait, you probably already are. Fewer jobs requiring even moderate physical activity contributes to workers burning 120 to 140 fewer calories on the job than they did in the '60s, reports USA Today . During an average workday, men burn an average of 142 fewer calories, women 124, says a study by top national physical activity experts. More»

Exercise can easily offset predisposition

(NEWSER) - The idea that your genetics might doom you to obesity is a “myth,” a team of scientists has concluded. Yes, some people are genetically predisposed to being overweight, but after examining the genes and habits of 20,000 subjects, researchers at the Medical Research Council in Cambridge found that an active lifestyle could make up much of the difference. Subjects who exercised were able to shed about 40% of the weight their “fat genes” saddled them with. More»