Johns Hopkins Health Alert
Putting Portion Control to the Test
Eat fewer calories than you burn and you will lose weight. Sounds simple, but for many people – especially those with diabetes – it is a difficult challenge. Now research in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that portion control can help.
Everyone knows that cutting calories and losing weight require you to reduce how much you eat -- which means downsizing your portions. A recent study shows that controlling portions may be particularly helpful for individuals with diabetes who take insulin and often find it difficult to lose weight.
In a study from the Archives of Internal Medicine, Canadian researchers randomized 130 obese participants with type 2 diabetes, including 55 people taking insulin, either to use a portion-control plate for meals or to obtain usual care in the form of dietary teaching. The plate allowed for an 800-calorie meal for men with diabetes and a 650-calorie meal for women with diabetes.
After six months, individuals with diabetes who controlled portions lost an average of 1.8% of their body weight compared with those in usual care who lost an average of 0.1%. Among those taking insulin, those in the intervention group lost 2.6% of their body weight compared with 0.1% in the control group.
More portion controllers lost a significant amount of weight; almost 17% lost at least 5% of their body weight while only 4.6% of controls did. And 26% of the intervention group were able to decrease their use of glucose-lowering medications compared with 11% in the usual-care group.
Nutritionists point out that special plates and bowls, which are commercially available, can be helpful in controlling calories since people's idea of an average portion size has increased radically over the years. Studies have shown that the more that people have on their plate, the more they will eat -- so serving smaller meals on smaller dishes may help you cut back.
Posted in Diabetes on October 1, 2009
Reviewed January 2011
Medical Disclaimer: This information is not intended to substitute for the advice of a physician. Click here for additional information: Johns Hopkins Health Alerts Disclaimer
Notify Me
Would you like us to inform you when we post new Diabetes Health Alerts?
Comments
Health Alerts registered users may post comments and share experiences here at their own discretion. We regret that questions on individual health concerns to the Johns Hopkins editors cannot be answered in this space.
The views expressed here do not constitute medical advice, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins Medicine or Remedy Health Media, LLC, which has no responsibility for any comments posted on this site.
Post a Comment
Already a subscriber?
Login
New to Johns Hopkins Health Alerts?
Controlling portion size by using smaller plates made to that effect is certainly a very effective mechanical way to reduce caloric intake. Another efficient and pleasant mechanical way to do this would be to apply the “Make half of your meal fruits and vegetables” (Dr. David L Katz). Assuming, of course, that one uses non-starchy vegetables (no potatoes) and that the fruit component has a low sugar content, one reduces drastically the caloric value of the plate.
Making one half of the plate lean, green and colorful will also provide plenty of vitamins, phytonutrients, and fiber. If you do not top it off with fatty vinaigrettes or sweet dressings, you end up with a dish which is low-calorie, nutritious, appetizing and satisfying.
NGBeditor
Posted by: heartMonitron | October 1, 2009 6:46 AM