Saturday 14 / December / 2024
We’ve all heard questionable information and advice about health and weight loss over the years. It could be from well-intentioned friends, a story on the internet, celebrity statements on social media, or the latest media story. But Dr. Benjamin Bikman, a leading metabolic scientist at Brigham Young University and the best-selling author of “Why We Get Sick,” is using legitimate science to help set the record straight to help people get much healthier.
“There is a great deal of misinformation out there,” said Bikman. “Some of it is from simple misunderstanding, some of it is willful deception to push an agenda, but almost all of it has absolutely no basis in human clinical research, and it’s harming a lot of people’s health and weight.”
Myth #1 - My metabolism is slowing down
Many people believe that as we age, our metabolism (the rate at which we utilise calories for energy) decreases. Not so, says Bikman.
“Contrary to popular belief, our metabolic rate doesn’t change as we age,” said Bikman. “Instead, metabolism is almost always coupled to our body weight. Interestingly, when someone starts to gain weight, their metabolic rate will actually go up. And if they lose weight, their metabolic rate will go down.”
Bikman says that instead of metabolism slowing down, far more people “break” their metabolism by following poor advice. “There’s a popular weight loss reality show where people starve themselves and exercise like crazy to lose an incredible amount of weight in a relatively short period of time,” said Bikman. “That can certainly work in the short-term, but there’s a reason you never see reunion shows on these weight loss programmes — they don’t work long-term.”
Myth #2 - Exercise can make up for a bad diet
You may be tempted to buy-in to the idea that a good workout can compensate for a bad diet. That’s simply not the case for almost anyone, according to Dr. Bikman.
“To avoid any confusion, I’ll say that everyone should exercise 5-6 times a week,” said Bikman. “Though it’s less for weight loss than it is for a host of other health benefits including cardio and brain health, your ability to maintain balance as you age, and especially for hormones and proper nutrient absorption.”
According to Bikman, the best kind of exercise is the kind you’ll actually do on a regular basis.
“But that doesn’t mean you can outrun, or out-exercise a bad diet — that’s a particularly dangerous myth,” said Bikman. “Even the heaviest workouts will only burn a few hundred calories, while eating the wrong kinds of food are not only resistant to being ‘burned’, they actively encourage your body to store body fat.”
Bikman adds that if you want to “burn” more calories, you can actually do it more effectively through a proper diet. “Your diet likely got you into the shape you’re in, but it also can help get you into much better shape now and in the future.”
Myth #3 - All calories are the same
The expression "A calorie is a calorie,” is one saying that particularly concerns Dr. Bikman.
“Outside the context of metabolic health, that may be correct, but it is absolutely misunderstood in the context of human nutrition and certainly in the context of what we do with energy in the body,” said Bikman. “Yet people and experts repeat the same ‘calories in, calories out’ myth. By that same logic, you could argue that 2,000 calories of soda pop are treated the same within the body as 2,000 calories of properly balanced macronutrients. One essentially kills the body and makes you fat and sick, while the other sustains life and helps you thrive.”
“And that saying completely ignores the impact on your body’s systems and hormones,” said Bikman. “Hormones, like insulin, have a profound effect on what our body does by way of burning calories, storing calories or even efficiently wasting calories.”
“By limiting carbs, and consuming the right blend of proteins and healthy fats, you’ll not only have much more sustainable energy,” said Bikman, “it will help accelerate your metabolism, help strengthen your immune system, and even aid in gut health and brain health.”
Myth #4 - A low-fat diet is the best for weight loss
If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, there is a good chance that you’ve at least considered a low-fat diet. In 1977, the US Dietary Guidelines were published and even without evidence from randomized controlled trials and testing, these guidelines recommended a significant reduction in dietary fat.
“People have been told to not eat fats that are clinically shown to be healthy in favor of refined carbohydrates, and the results have been devastating,” said Bikman. “Since 1977, the average adult American is nearly 30 pounds heavier; as reported by the Centers for Disease Control, a government agency.”
Bikman shares that there’s overwhelming evidence of the benefits of a high-fat diet for overall health.
“Fats not only help you feel full, they help with brain health, gut health and metabolic health,” said Bikman. “This doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy carbs, but you need to realise that there are no essential carbs; just essential amino acids (from protein), and essential fatty acids.”
“Focus on a wide spectrum of healthy fats from animal sources (like eggs, beef, salmon) and fruit sources (olive, coconut and avocado),” said Bikman.
Bringing solutions from the lab to the real world
Even with all of the information that Bikman shares in his speeches and interviews, he is constantly asked by people around the world what they should do for their health.
"Ideally, we all would have the knowledge, time, discipline and budget to plan, purchase and prepare perfect meals," said Bikman. "But it simply doesn't happen; people get busy, they get stressed and they make unhealthy choices that derail their health goals."
