25 April 2015 - Clinical Advisor - Exercise won't make up for poor diet

Sugar calories promote fat storage and hunger, while fat calories induce satiation, noted the investigators. A recent econometric analysis of sugar availability revealed that for every excess 150 calories of sugar versus fat or protein, there was an 11-fold increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes; this was independent of weight and physical activity levels.

The most effective intervention for reducing the features of metabolic syndrome is dietary carbohydrate restriction. Furthermore, recent studies suggest that chronic adaptation to a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet induces high rates of fat oxidation during exercise, rendering carbohydrate loading unnecessary. Growing concerns suggest that insulin-resistant athletes may be at risk of developing type 2 diabetes if they continue eating very high-carbohydrate diets.

"Changing the food environment — so that individuals' choices about what to eat default to healthy options — will have a far greater impact on population health than counseling or education," wrote the investigators.

"Healthy choice must become the easy choice."