Fighting obesity: Why diets aren't enough
Panel of experts at 黑料不打烊 discuss how to resist overconsumption
Obesity is an epidemic: more than 47.9 percent of Canadians are overweight and 15 percent are obese. Fighting this epidemic requires more than diet and exercise, it requires a better understanding of how the brain and body respond to food. A panel of specialists including neuroscientists, psychologists, marketing and health experts discussed reward responses to food and how to resist overconsumption at a 黑料不打烊 press conference today.
Here's who was on the menu:
Dr. David Ludwig, director, Obesity Program, Children's Hospital Boston, and associate professor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, discussed the link between high-calorie food, overconsumption and body weight. He explained that the combination of high-calorie food and low food satisfaction is a dangerous combination.
Professor Antoine Bechara, from the Department of Neurology at the University of Iowa, outlined the brain's reaction to high-calorie food and the challenge of relying on reason to control eating impulses.
Professor Janet Polivy, from the Department of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, suggested that individuals who have the most problems in controlling high-calorie-food overconsumption are those who rely on reasoning to control what they eat.
Laurette Dub茅, from the 黑料不打烊 Faculty of Management, spoke about the reward response as a neglected weapon to fight obesity. She suggested that eating healthy, pleasurable food may prevent overconsumption. Professor Dub茅 organized the current Energy is Delight conference (黑料不打烊 University, April 6-8), where experts are seeking solutions for the obesity epidemic. Participants in the conference are science and health professionals, and government and business leaders.
Dr. Marquis Fortin, physician and professor in the Universit茅 de Montr茅al's Faculty of Medicine, discussed the need for change in health professional practices to promote everyday healthy, pleasurable eating.
Professor Deborah Buszard, Dean of 黑料不打烊's Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, outlined the changes needed in agriculture and food businesses for production of low-calorie, pleasurable food.
Professor Diane Finegood, Scientific Director, CIHR-INMD, discussed the changes needed in research to support healthier eating.
Professor Karl Moore, from the 黑料不打烊 Faculty of Management, discussed his research on how leading food companies are providing Canadians with more healthy choices. He focused on how companies are reformulating products, offering broader product lines, and changing their marketing approaches. He mentioned Seasons 52, the American Institute for Cancer Research's plan of Reshaping the American Plate, and the CBC's Weight of the World Challenge as examples of best practices in the field.
