A billion people in the world are now overweight. That’s great news for the $13 billion weight loss supplement industry, but as I detailed in my 2-min. video Diet Pills Do a Fat Lot of Good, a recent review of common slimming supplements versus placebo concluded that none of them worked any better than the sugar pills. Unfortunately this lack of efficacy is not just limited to weight loss supplements despite what one might be told in a natural food store. See my videos:
- Dietary Supplement Snake Oil
- Some Dietary Supplements May Be More Than a Waste Of Money
- Health Food Store Supplement Advice
- Bad Advice From Health Food Store Employees
- Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees
- Pharmacists Versus Health Food Store Employees: Who Gives Better Advice?
Recently a similar conclusion about diet pills was reached by the Weight Management Center at Johns Hopkins concluding, “it is fitting to highlight that perhaps the most general and safest ‘alternative’ approach to weight control is to substitute low-energy density foods for high-energy density and processed foods, thereby reducing total energy intake.” In other words, more whole plant foods and fewer animals and junk. The Hopkins paper continues: “By taking advantage of the low-energy density and health-promoting effects of plant-based foods, one may be able to achieve weight loss, or at least assist weight maintenance without cutting down on the volume of food consumed or compromising its nutrient value.”
The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine decided to put this idea to work in a workplace dietary intervention study at GEICO corporate headquarters. Compared to a control worksite where employees were kept in the dark, employees were educated about the wonders of a plant-based diet for a couple months along with a few healthier options in the cafeteria without changes in exercise. Check out my 2-min. video Slimming the Gecko for the results!
I’ve previously mentioned Dr. Barnard’s landmark work with PCRM in:
- Physician-Assisted Suicide? When Doctors Give Nutrition Advice
- Dietary Guideline Graphics: From the Food Pyramid to My Plate, Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, and PCRM’s Power Plate
- Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board Accused of Making Illegally Deceptive Claims
- Paula Deen: Diabetes Drug Spokesperson
- Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up
–Michael Greger, M.D.
PS: If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here and watch my full 2012 – 2015 presentations Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, More than an Apple a Day, From Table to Able, and Food as Medicine.
