Can a single study about weight loss be trusted?

Check out this headline from an article I read over the weekend:

“A new study suggests that middle aged adults looking for effective methods of losing weight should take into account the fact that regular physical exercise is more effective than a strict diet.”

There you have it — proof that exercise is better than dieting for losing weight.

But wait a minute!

What about the vast number of studies that demonstrate just the opposite? Did the US government guidelines (based on a thorough review of all the available research) get it wrong in saying that exercise has NOT shown to be effective in helping people lose weight?

This happens all the time. The only published studies that get any media attention are the ones the contradict the general conclusions from available research.

In this case, the study referenced was based on data from 34 adults between 50 and 60 years of age collected over a relatively short period of time. Never mind that the conflicting research is based on studies with thousands of participants extending over multiple years.

In my course I call this the “one study problem” — where a single study is assumed to be true where, in fact, no single study in the health-care field has ever proven anything.

Did you notice the above headline described the study’s results as “the fact?” I’m sorry, but there were no “facts” that came out of this study. In reality, on the topics of weight, nutrition, and fitness, there are no “facts” that come out of any single study.

Allen Oelschlaeger
Author of Finally, the Straight Scoop About Weight, Nutrition, and Fitness