Diet in Weight Loss Term Paper

Diet in Weight Loss,” discusses the number of obese Americans and the health risks associated with obesity, such as heart disease, diabetes, etc. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) held a conference on the subject of exercise and diet in the treatment of obesity, and then released “consensus statements” regarding exercise. Two of the most important statements are discussed in the article, along with the research that led to these statements.
The research consisted of “random control trials” that compared subjects who added exercise to a calorie-controlled diet, and those who exercised alone. In one of the studies, women who dieted without exercise reduced their body fat from 35% to 29%, and women exercising reduced their body fat from 35% to 33%. Dieting men decreased their body fat from 26% to 21%, while exercising men did not decrease their body fat at all. The scientists concluded, “This study clearly illustrates that weight loss through diet only was not equated to energy expenditure through exercise only. Therefore, equal amounts of weight loss should not be expected” (Paez and Kravitz). However, other studies led to different conclusions, including increased body fat loss by participants who only exercised and did not control their calories. Thus, there is disagreement with the ACSM conclusions, and other scientists have research that indicates at least some of the conclusions were false.
The conclusions of the research indicate that exercise alone will not help combat obesity. However, challenges to that conclusion maintain that the studies the ACSM and scientists used did not effectively measure or compare “caloric restricting programs to increased energy expenditure programs. They conclude that if these factors were equal, exercise alone can be as effective as caloric restriction for weight loss” (Paez and Kravitz). Ultimately, losing weight requires discipline, and adding exercise to calorie control can only aid in overall weight loss and successful treatment of obesity.
References
Paez, Christina J. And Len Kravitz, Ph.D. “Exercise vs. Diet in Weight Loss.” 2000. 12 March 2007. http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/exandwtloss.html