We've "hatched" a new website and along with that, a new format for our e-newsletter, Nutrition Research Update. What remains the same is our committment to feature new and exciting topics from the field of nutrition.

In this edition, Dr. Kevin Hall, PhD, Senior Investigator at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), describes the creation of a new tool for weight loss and weight maintenance, the Body Weight Planner. The Planner is based on the latest research which challenges the longheld belief that a caloric deficit of 3,500 calories results in one pound of weight loss. Given the global obesity epidemic, the importance of this new tool goes without saying.

At ENC, we are committed to highlighting new research on topics relevant to optimal health and disease prevention through our publications and new website. We invite you to explore the scientific information and resources provided by the Egg Nutrition Center. If you have any questions or comments on the present content or suggestions for future feature articles, please feel free to contact us at ENC@eggnutritioncenter.org.

Regards,

Tia M. Rains, PhD

Senior Director of Nutrition Research & Communications

A lot of people want to change their lifestyle to lose weight and improve their overall health but really don’t know what it takes. The recently developed NIH Body Weight Planner can provide support. It’s the first tool to use personalized information to calculate the required eating and physical activity changes to help people reach and stay at their goal weight. The Planner uses technology based on years of scientific research to accurately model how your body adjusts to changes in your eating and physical activity habits. Its calculations reflect the discovery that the widely accepted paradigm that reducing 3,500 calories will shed one pound of weight does not account for slowing of metabolism as people change their eating patterns and physical activities. This old rule of thumb is still widespread, but substantially overestimates how much weight people will actually lose.

To use the NIH Body Weight Planner, visit http://BWplanner.niddk.nih.gov and enter your weight, sex, age, height, and physical activities during work and leisure. Then enter a target date for reaching your goal weight. You can also add details like percent body fat and metabolic rate. The Planner will then calculate your personal calorie and physical activity targets to achieve your goal and maintain it over time.

The math model behind the NIH Body Weight Planner was created in 2011 to accurately forecast how body weight changes when people alter their eating and exercise habits. The model was validated using data from multiple controlled studies in people, including data from a two-year calorie restriction study of 140 people where we also showed that the model can be used in reverse to track people’s weight and accurately calculate the underlying calorie intake changes. 

The Body Weight Planner is compatible with most Web and mobile browsers. NIH is also working to develop mobile apps for tracking your body weight and physical activity, and for assessing how well you stick to your plan over time. This information can be used to help you change your plan or goals as needed. And the NIH recently partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to add the Body Weight Planner to the online USDA SuperTracker food and activity tool. This science-based technology provides users greater personalization to help reach and sustain a healthy weight.

Supporting Scientific References

K.D. Hall, G. Sacks, D. Chandramohan, C.C. Chow, Y.C. Wang, S. Gortmaker, B.A. Swinburn. Quantifying the effect of energy imbalance on body weight. The Lancet 2011; 378(9793):826-37.

A. Sanghvi, L.M. Redman, C.K. Martin, E. Ravussin, K.D. Hall. Validation of an inexpensive and accurate mathematical method to measure long-term changes in free-living energy intake. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015; 102(2):353-8.

See Dr. Hall at Experimental Biology 2016: Using the NIH Body Weight Planner for Nutrition Research and Counseling

Tuesday, April 5th 7:00 – 8:30 a.m.; San Diego Convention Center, Room 32AB

Participants will engage in guided case studies demonstrating the proper use of the tool and how to correctly interpret the results. Case studies will be targeted to both researchers as well as nutrition counselors. Real time hands-on use of the tool will be available to participants with smartphones, tablets, or laptops connected to the internet. Also, a preview of future tools will be presented.

Next week, over 14,000 scientists will arrive in San Diego, CA for the 2016 Experimental Biology annual meeting held April 2-6 at the San Diego Convention Center. A total of 14 abstracts will be presented that report on new research findings related to egg nutrition funded in part or in full by our Resarch Grant Program.

CLICK HERE for the full listing of these 14 presentations.