The China Study and Obesity

The China Study - How I came across this book
Recently I came across an interesting Youtube videos depicting Bill Clinton sharing his new diet following his bypass surgery.

It made me curious as I have heard about The China Study (a book) being mentioned a few times by some of my friends. I bought a copy and had a brief look through it. One of the topics which I found interesting is on obesity as it is very prevalent among Malaysians.

What is obesity?
The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a standard expression of body size, taking into account an individual's weight and height. It is calculated by dividing an individual's weight in kilograms with the his/her corresponding height squared (kg/m2). A person is considered overweight if his/her BMI is more than 25. Likewise, obesity is defined as BMI exceeding 30.

What are the consequences of obesity?

1. Increased blood cholesterol levels
2. Glucose intolerance predisposing to diabetes
3. High blood pressure
4. Sleep apnea
5. Bone problems
6. Unable to do enjoyable activities
7. Reduced physical mobility
8. Affect mental health

Solution?

The China Study emphasizes on the adoption of a whole food, plant based diet with reasonable amount of exercise. However, this lifestyle change must be long term to provide sustained weight loss and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

Why some people still can't lose weight on plant based diet?

1. Taking too many refined carbohydrates such as sweets, pastries, and pasta
• These foods are too high in readily digested sugars, starches, and fat
• Also known as junk food vegetarians - not consuming nutritious diet
2. Never engages in physical activities
• Losing weight is all about balance between energy intake from food and energy release from physical activities
• Low physical activity results in increased energy input which is makes losing weight much harder
3. Family predisposition for overweight bodies
• This individual need to be more vigorous in diet and exercise

"If weight was gained slowly, over periods of months and years, why would you expect to take it off healthily in a matter of weeks?"

How does it work?

Some people who followed this diet overall consumed lower calories despite them spending more time eating larger volumes. This can be explained by the fact that fruits, vegetables, and grains have low energy density due to the high fiber content. In other words, these people eat more nutritious, filling foods in larger quantities without exceeding their daily calorie intake.

Some people consume more calories despite being on this diet. One of the hypothesis made by the author is that the excess energy consumed from wholesome plant food is burned as heat during rest.

Conclusion

In summary, the author recommended whole food, plant based diet to aid in weight loss. However, in my personal opinion the most important thing to note here is to incorporate more unprocessed food, fruits and vegetables into our daily diet. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that an individual should consume at least 400g of fruits and vegetables of varying colors daily.

Additionally, try to incorporate more physical activity in your daily lifestyle. Aim for at least 15-45 minutes of physical activity per day.