Calorie counting 'pointless'

Click to follow
The Evening Standard
The revelation would leave Bridget Jones spluttering into her chardonnay - calorie counting may be a waste of time.

Scientists have discovered that some calories lead to more weight gain than others and the latest research suggests that successful slimming may depend on the type of calories, rather than simply the quantity consumed.

The finding will surprise millions of dieters who pin their hopes on calorie-controlled diets.

Nutritionists now believe this may be an unreliable measure of how fattening food is.

American scientists took a group of 65 overweight adults and asked them to follow one of two diets for 24 weeks.

The dieters were of similar age and health and took similar exercise.

But while both diets contained exactly the same number of calories, one group lost dramatically more weight than the other. The average weight loss in one group was 43lbs while in the other it was 26.6lbs.

Dr Michelle Wien, of the City of Hope National Medical Center, California, said: "It seems that some foods are associated with more weight gain, or loss, than others - even if they have the same number of calories.

"Our study suggests that calorie counting is too simplistic a way to try to lose weight. We need to look at type, or quality, of the calories involved, not just the quantity."

Almost all packaged food on Britain's supermarket shelves identifies how many calories typical servings contain.

In Helen Fielding's bestseller Bridget Jones's Diary, each entry begins with a total calorie count for the day.

The Department of Health recommends an average calorie intake of about 2,000 a day for women and 2,550 for men.

Traditional weight- loss programmes are based on consuming fewer calories than the body burns, resulting in a "negative calorie balance".

The participants in the latest study each consumed 1,000 calories a day, with low-calorie liquid shakes making

up half the calories for both groups. One group was asked to make up the rest of the calorie allowance by eating almonds, while the other group was allowed to chose 500 calories of other food to make up the total. Members of the almond group lost the most weight. Dr Wien said: "The almond group experienced a sustained and greater weight reduction. There may be qualities in almonds that helped the first group lose more."

One explanation for the results is that the body finds it more difficult to absorb fat from some types of food than others, even if they contain-the same total number of calories-Researchers say the cell walls in almonds help stop fat absorption.

Nutritionist Amanda Wynne, of the British Dietetic Association, said: "This study is very interesting. However, I don't think people should rush out and eat lots of almonds; the people involved were on a very carefully controlled diet."