This One Diet Detail Is "Absolutely Essential" to Weight Loss, Scientist Says
Maybe you meal-plan with discipline and exercise routinely… and yet your weight still isn't coming off the way you'd hoped. One metabolism scientist is highlighting an important point for you to make a priority if you want to lose weight effectively. Unfortunately, for some people, this important nutrition tip may be easily overlooked.
Ben Bikman, PhD, leads a biology and physiology laboratory at Brigham Young University and is the author of Why We Get Sick: The Hidden Epidemic at the Root of Most Chronic Disease—and How to Fight It. Bikman's research focuses largely on insulin resistance and the systemic diseases that are often related to weight gain and obesity.
Bikman recently contributed content to the website for one local Salt Lake City television station, KSL.com. There, he discussed what he believes are keys to optimizing health, metabolism, and weight management.
Among his key tips, Bikman advised that getting enough sleep is important to managing weight because sleep helps the body regulate hormone levels. He also said regular exercise is necessary in any form that inspires you to move… but without quality sleep, exercise alone probably won't deliver maximum benefit.
When it comes to diet, Bikman has spoken about one element of eating that he said is "absolutely essential" to successfully managing weight: Keeping blood glucose low.
Science has shown one reason for that is because when blood glucose—commonly known as "blood sugar"—is too high, the body has to find something to do with that extra sugar. At that stage, the excess sugar in the blood gets converted to fat.
Bikman suggests focusing diet on proteins and healthy fat, while limiting sugar consumption, can help keep blood glucose stable while helping you feel satiated and energized throughout the day.
A recent paper published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that from childhood, it's important to eat healthy and stay active in order to avoid metabolic dysfunction and endocrinological disorders, such as diabetes, later in life.
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