Obesity not caused by overeating, new study proposes alternate approach for weight loss

A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has provided a new perspective to the causes of obesity, ruling out overeating as a primary cause. The authors have proposed an alternative approach towards more effective and long-term weight-loss treatments. They said that obesity is not a direct cause of overeating, instead, overeating can stem from obesity.

The study, titled, 'The carbohydrate-insulin model: A physiological perspective on the obesity pandemic', outlines explanations on what causes obesity and says that the energy balance model which states weight gain is caused by consuming more energy than we spend is problematic.

According to D. David Ludwig, an endocrinologist at Boston Children's Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School, the energy balance method fails to explain the fundamental drivers of weight gain. "Adolescents may boost their food intake by 1,000 calories per day during a growth spurt," he explains, and questions "Does their overeating create the growth spurt, or does the teenager become hungry and overeat as a result of the growth spurt?" The study, instead, links obesity to the use of low-quality foods and processed carbs.

The carbohydrate-insulin model: a new approach to understanding obesity

The researchers, in their study, hypothesised the carbohydrate-insulin model that stresses that obesity depends on the type of food being consumed. The researchers wrote that modern dietary patterns are the reason behind obesity  

According to the new model, "modern dietary patterns marked by excessive consumption of foods with a high glycaemic load: in particular, processed, rapidly digestible carbs," are to blame for increasing cases of obesity. "These foods produce hormonal responses that fundamentally affect our metabolism, causing fat storage, weight gain, and obesity," the research said.

The carbohydrate-insulin model recommends a different way that focuses more on what a person eats, rather than urging people to eat less to control obesity. "Reducing consumption of the readily digestible carbs that inundated the food supply during the low-fat diet era decreases the underlying desire to store body fat," D. Ludwig said, adding, "As a result, people may be able to reduce weight without as much hunger or struggle."

Eating highly processed carbs? Think Again!

"When we consume highly processed carbohydrates, our bodies produce more insulin and less glucagon. As a result, fat cells are instructed to store more calories, leaving fewer calories available to fuel muscles and other metabolically active tissues," the researchers pointed out. According to the study, the brain thinks the body isn't getting enough energy, which causes hunger and when the body attempts to conserve fuel, metabolism may slow down. "As a result, we tend to stay hungry even as we continue to gain weight," the study said. 

Notably, obesity puts a large section of the world population at risk for heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer. In the United Kingdom, obesity was a factor in over 11,000 hospital admissions in 2018-19, according to NHS data. Data also revealed that admissions, where obesity was a factor, were almost two and a half times more frequent in poorer areas.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity affects more than 40% of American adults. The Health Survey for England 2019 states that 28% of adults in England were affected by obesity.

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