Weight Watchers' Members Lose Twice as Many Kilos
Friday, 09 September 2011, 17:05 IST
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London: Obese people on a Weight Watchers programme lose twice as many kilos as those following a doctor's advice, a new study shows. The core approach of international company Weight Watchers' is to help members lose weight by forming helpful habits, eating smarter, getting more exercise - and more. Overweight people who attended group meetings for a year, weighed regularly and following diet tips, lost an average of 5.06 kg. This is double the 2.25 kg lost by those who received weight-loss information from their local doctors, the journal The Lancet reports. Besides, members of the Weight Watchers programme had lower cholesterol levels and smaller waists, putting them at lower risk of diabetes and heart disease, according to the Telegraph. The study was carried out by Susan Jebb, at the Medical Research Council in Cambridge, and colleagues. It states that one billion people worldwide are overweight and 300 million obese, putting them at high risk of illness and early death and placing a heavy burden on healthcare systems. The researchers took 770 overweight and obese patients, mainly middle-aged women, in Germany, Austria and Britain and gave half of them free access to a Weight Watchers programme while the others received "standard care" through their GP. After a year, weight loss among those in Weight Watchers was "significantly greater" than those given physician advice, and they were twice as likely to have lost more than five percent of their initial bodyweight.
Source: IANS
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