Can Your Job Help You Lose Weight?

Study Shows Wellness Programs Are Useful Tools for Weight Loss

By Kelley Colihan
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

June 30, 2008 -- Workplace wellness programs are effective in helping employees lose weight, a research review shows.

Researchers sifted through 11 studies published since 1994, some which were updated in 2006. Most of the programs involved education and counseling to improve diet and increase physical activity.

Some programs offered a health risk assessment and lab work; others provided one-on-one and email counseling. Only one included on-site

exercise sessions, and another added healthy menu items in the cafeteria, along with nutritional information.

The work-site intervention programs lasted a minimum of eight weeks and involved workers aged 32 to 52.

Before and after the start of the work-site intervention the participants had their BMI (body mass index) or weight taken.

Workplace Weight Loss

On average participants lost 2-14 pounds compared to employees not involved in the work-site weight loss intervention programs.

The workers that did not participate either lost an average of 1 and 1/2 pounds, or gained an average of 1 pound.

So do on-the-job weight loss programs work? "For people who participate in them, work-site-based programs do tend to result in weight loss," researcher Michael Benedict, MD, from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, says in a news release.

What seems to matter most when it comes to dropping the pounds? The in-your-face approach, according to Benedict. "Programs that incorporated face-to-face contact more than once a month appeared to be more effective than other programs."

However, since the follow-up was slim it was hard to draw conclusions about whether the weight would stay off, Benedict says. From 56% to 100% of the participants finished the studies, which ranged from two to 18 months. "People who participate in these programs can lose weight, but we aren't really sure what happens after that."

In an article that runs alongside the review, authors point out that "65% of adults in the U.S. are classified as overweight or obese."

The researchers add that work-site weight loss programs can provide "unique opportunities for decreasing adult obesity."

The pros:

• Emotional support from colleagues.
• A structured program can offer opportunities to learn about nutrition and exercise.

The researchers write that employees have been offering more work wellness programs.

According to the researchers, a separate 2003 study showed that "approximately 6% of all U.S. health care costs ($75 billion dollars) were related to excess body weight."

It's not clear how much money employers could save if they offered weight loss programs. "Employers want to know that what they're doing will have a positive return on investment," Benedict says.

Benedict writes that efforts to curb obesity at work can look for success to similar workplace programs, including a drive to help people quit smoking and lower their blood pressure, a win-win for employers.

The researchers admit the data have limits; they call for "vigorous, controlled studies of work-site-based interventions that integrate educational, behavioral, environmental and economic supports."

The research is published in the July-August issue of American Journal of Health Promotion.

Women: Eat Well, Live Longer?

Diet of Whole Foods Associated With Lower Risk of Death in Women

By Kelley Colihan
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Elizabeth Klodas, MD, FACC

June 23, 2008 -- Eating well is good for us. But can eating a certain way also help you live longer and cut your chances of developing heart disease, cancer, diabetes and stroke?

A new study suggests a link between what women eat and whether they die from certain diseases.

72,000 women, 30 to 55 years old, who had no history of health problems at the beginning of the study. The study spanned 18 years, from 1984 to 2002; every two to four years, the women answered questionnaires about what they ate.

Researchers led by Christin Heidemann from Harvard's School of Public Health and the German Institute of Human Nutrition tracked more than

Two distinct dietary patterns emerged.

Researchers called one pattern the "high prudent" diet. This included lots of vegetables, fruit, legumes, and whole grains, as well as lean protein sources such as fish and poultry.

The other dietary pattern, dubbed "Western," included more red and processed meat, refined grains, french fries, sugary foods, and desserts.

It Pays to Be 'Prudent'

During 18 years of tracking, 6,011 of the participants died.

Women with the most "prudent diet" had a 28% lower risk of dying from heart disease. They also had a 17% lower risk of death from all the diseases studied, including cancer, diabetes, and stroke.

Women who followed a diet highest in meats, processed and refined foods, and sweets had a 22% higher risk of dying from heart disease. They also had a 21% increased risk of dying from all causes combined.

"These results highlight the importance of intensifying public health efforts to promote the adoption of a healthy overall diet including high intakes of vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, fish and poultry and low intakes of red and processed meat, refined grains, French fries and sweets," says Heidemann in a prepared statement.

"Traditionally, there has been a focus on single nutrients or foods, but in terms of longevity a greater focus on dietary patterns can take into account the complexity of the overall diet," Heidemann says.

Healthy Diet, Lifestyle Tips

Here are some lifestyle and diet guidelines from the American Heart Association, which are in line with following a "prudent" diet:

• Limit saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium.
• Minimize sugary foods and beverages.
• Eat lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain and high-fiber foods.
• Eat fat-free and low-fat dairy products.
• Eat fish at least twice a week.
• Be physically active and keep weight at healthy levels.
• Avoid using or breathing tobacco smoke.
• Achieve and maintain healthy cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels.

The study is published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association