Medical Experts Call on Media to Rethink Coverage of W...( Modest weight loss yields ...),Health

Modest weight loss yields significant health benefits

NEW YORK, July 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The Reality Coalition -- a group of experts on overweight and obesity -- today issued a call to action for the media to reevaluate the way they report on weight loss. This action comes as the result of the continued news coverage and editorial content that leads consumers to believe that they are only successful dieters if they lose an enormous amount of weight, and that there is no real benefit in losing a small amount of weight.

"There is a tremendous health benefit in modest, gradual weight loss. Incorporating healthy eating including low-fat, low calorie meals, exercising, behavior modification and using science-based products when needed, is the best way to lose weight," said Reality Coalition co-chair George L. Blackburn, MD, Ph.D. "And any amount of weight loss is good. It is important for these messages to be delivered to the public on a consistent basis through a variety of media channels, including print, broadcast and online outlets."

In a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine various dieting approaches were evaluated and findings indicate that no matter the type of diet a person is on, low-fat, low carbohydrate, or a Mediterranean diet, any amount of weight loss is beneficial to the patient's health.

The Reality Coalition is asking the media to join them in their efforts to make this country healthier, starting with a realistic approach to weight loss.

Recently, a nationally syndicated news service implied that a diet may not be worth it if the dieter is only going to lose five to 10 pounds. "In this and many other news stories I read, the key takeaway always seems to be the same -- that if a person does not lose extraordinary amounts of weight on a diet or other weight loss regimens, something is wrong," said Reality Coalition co-chair MRC Greenwood, Ph.D. "This perpetuates the unrealistic approach to w
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