Maintaining “Energy Balance” Is Key To Winning Obesity Battle

The U.S. should be focusing less on food restriction and weight loss to fight obesity, and should instead pay closer attention to “energy balance”: a combination of food intake, energy expenditure through physical activity and energy (fat) storage. The researchers argue that obesity cannot be reduced simply by dieting, there has to be a physical activity component. The proposal is based on the idea of a “regulated zone,” where energy balance is managed by using strategies that match food and beverage intake to a higher level of energy expenditure than is typical in the U.S. today. “Without increasing physical activity in the population we are simply promoting unsustainable levels of food restriction,” they said