After one year, investigators found that those who received email counseling fared better in losing and maintaining the weight loss (roughly 9 pounds) compared with their counterparts (4 pounds).
At least one expert isn't surprised about the role counseling has apparently played in both Tate's and Heshka's studies. "If you're with somebody who's encouraging you, somebody who's telling you that you look good, you're not fighting anything. You're making these people a part of your life," says Catherine D. DeAngelis, MD, MPH, editor of JAMA, who notes that lifestyle changes are proven to work for weight loss.
Another authority on weight management, however, says it's too soon to tell what exact component works best for losing and keeping off the pounds. "We don't really have the research to tease out whether it's support or physical activity or diet that's important," says Susan Z. Yanovski, MD, executive director of the National Task Force on Prevention and Treatment of Obesity with the National Institutes of Health.
Successful weight loss today, says Yanovski, involves multiple elements, including a modest decrease in caloric intake and increasing exercise -- necessary parts of any weight-loss program.
Published April 8, 2003
Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD
SOURCES: The Journal of the American Medical Association, April 9, 2003. News conference, AMA.
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