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Portion-Control Dishware
Helps With Weight Loss
Using a plate and cereal bowl that indicate proper portion sizes
helped obese patients with diabetes lose weight and decrease their
use of glucose-controlling medications, says a Canadian study.
The plates -- divided into sections for carbohydrates, proteins,
vegetables, cheese and sauce -- held enough for an 800-calorie
meal for men and a 650-calorie meal for women. The bowl allowed
for a 200-calorie serving of cereal and milk.
Over six months, about half of 122 patients (average age 56)
used the portion-control plates and bowls, while the rest of the
patients received usual care consisting of dietary assessments
and teaching by dietitians.
The patients who used the portion-control plates and bowls lost
an average of 1.8 percent of their body weight, compared to an
average of 0.1 percent among those who received usual care.
The University of Calgary researchers also found that 16.9 percent
of the patients who used the portion-control plates and bowls
lost at least 5 percent of their body weight, compared with 4.6
percent of patients who received usual care.
"This is important, as a five percent weight loss has been
shown to be clinically significant in terms of decreasing morbidity
and mortality associated with obesity-linked disorders such as
cancer and (heart attack)," the study authors wrote.
The use of diabetes medications decreased by 26.2 percent among
patients using the plates and bowls, compared with 10.8 percent
among those who received usual care.
The portion-control plates and bowls offer a simple, inexpensive
method of weight control that shows promise in helping obese people
with diabetes, the study authors concluded.
The findings were published in the June 25 issue of the journal
Archives of Internal Medicine.
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