Experts debunk myths about weight loss with TDR and show its effectiveness in reducing obesity and overweight.
In a webinar organized by TDMR Europe on 14th April Professor Anthony Leeds (TDMR Europe Chair), Dr George Thom (University of Glasgow), Dr Kelly Johnston (King’s College London) and Mark Gilbert (TDMR Europe Science Committee) highlighted how Total Diet Replacement (TDR) can be an effective solution to tackling alarming obesity and overweight rates in Europe. The on-line seminar titled “Proven Facts versus Popular Myth about weight loss with Total Diet Replacement” focussed on debunking common popular myths about weight loss and presented the potential benefits of using TDR for weight loss.
Professor Anthony Leeds, Chairman of TDMR Europe, said:
“It is time for policymakers to acknowledge that obesity prevention strategies aiming to change consumers’ food behaviours are not enough. They need to focus on providing solutions for people with obesity. TDRs can be instrumental in the efforts to bring down the incidence of obesity and overweight.”
Sharing updates on the latest research on TDR Prof Leeds highlighted its impact on type 2 diabetes, stressing that “TDR programmes deliver, in a short period of time, the amounts of weight loss needed to achieve major health improvements such as type 2 diabetes prevention and remission and other obesity related diseases”.
Although several recent large-scale trials have demonstrated that TDR-led interventions can induce initial average weight losses of 10-15% body weight, Dr Thom cautioned that “preventing weight regain over the longer-term remains the major challenge”. Focusing on physiological and behavioural factors involved in weight loss maintenance, Dr Thom said that “some degree of weight regain is normal for a variety of reasons, and conveying this message sensitively to people seeking to maintain weight can not only reduce shame and blame, but facilitate pro-active relapse management.” Dr Thom also provided interesting suggestions on how practitioners may support individuals living with obesity to improve weight loss maintenance. He argued that “there is no single mechanism to explain weight loss maintenance. Yet, increases in appetite and adaptive reductions in energy expenditure may undermine self-regulation of eating and long-term behaviour change”.
An insightful discussion on misinformation and myths on TDR followed, with Dr Johnston pointing out the urgency of addressing these myths as “they slow the acceptance of what could be a powerful ally in tackling obesity”. Dr Johnston argued that false beliefs about TDR are widespread and ultimately affect the public health’s effort to fight obesity as well as the allocation of research resources on this issue. “There is a huge amount of misinformation about TDR in the public domain, with some of it coming from those very organisations and professionals who should be helping educate consumers as to benefits of this very well evidenced, safe solution. As a matter of priority, and so that this effective obesity treatment becomes more widely, this must be addressed” Dr Johnston said.
Mr Gilbert from TDMR Europe Science Committee also said that there is an “undeserved negative mythology surrounding TDR”. Discussing proven facts on weight loss with TDR, Mr Gilbert argued that “rapid, substantial weight loss with TDR does not increase the proportion of lean body mass losses when compared to moderate weight loss, and muscle quality is not compromised”.