While dieticians claims that eating fewer calories leads to weight loss, a new study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine reveals that isn’t always the case–at least if you’re an African American woman.
Studying the effects of calorie-restricted diets on women of different races, lead researcher James Delany says that African American women have more trouble losing weight–and it’s all due to their metabolisms.
“African-American women have a lower energy expenditure,” explains Delany. “They’re going to have to eat fewer calories than they would if they were Caucasian, and/or increase their physical activity more.”
Basically, Delany says your genetics could actually prevent you from losing weight–a worrying fact.
The Study
Recruiting a total of 39 African American women and 66 Caucasian women, Delany and his team of researchers asked them to adhere to a daily 1,800 calorie diet while adopting identical exercise requirements. At the beginning of the study, all of the women were described as being “severely obese.”
They then tracked their weight, energy expenditure, and adherence to diet and exercise protocols for a total of six months, noting that both ethnic groups adhered well to these requirements.
But at the end of the study, something strange happened–the Caucasian women lost more weight.
“The African-American women are [equally] as adherent to the behavioral intervention,” says Delany. “It’s just that the weight-loss prescription is wrong because it’s based on the assumption that the requirements are the same.”
For Delany, he believes that African American women may have differences in calorie expenditure that can’t necessarily be measured just based on a person’s exercise level and body weight. Other factors may also come into play, such as their biological reactions to certain foods. Those of African American descent, for instance, may not process European-based foods as well as those of European descent.
“There are racial and genetic differences in obesity,” says Dr. Mitch Roslin, a chief of bariatric surgery at Lenox Hospital in New York City. “People of Western European or Eastern European descent have evolved greater mechanisms to withstand the pressures of the modern diet.”
In addition, Delany adds that calorie requirements shouldn’t strictly be based on body weight, especially for those who are not Caucasian.
“They can’t just base caloric restriction on body weight,” asys Delany.
What This Means For You
If you are a woman of African American descent and have trouble losing weight, struggling to slim down may not necessarily your fault. But you can still make weight loss a possibility–Delany recommends increasing the amount of exercise to make up for any metabolic differences.
As for which exercises are best, nearly all exercises will do–including walking, running, or swimming. For an extra metabolism boost, you may want to also consider resistance training, which has been shown to slow down muscle loss and enhance the metabolic rate.
Readers: Do you think genetics really prevents people from losing weight or not?
Sources:
Study: Black Women Lose Less Weight Than White Women – Philly.com
Losing Weight Harder if You’re African American – MedicalDaily.com
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