Now a new study shows that practicing restraint becomes more important with age.

Women who participated in the study had more than twice the risk of substantial weight gain if they did not become more restrained in their eating.

"Some suggest that restrained eating is not a good practice," said Brigham Young University professor Larry Tucker, the study's lead author. "Given the environmental forces in America's food industry, not practicing restraint is essentially a guarantee of failure."

The study followed 192 middle-aged women for three years and tracked information on lifestyle, health and eating habits. Their analysis revealed that women who did not become more restrained with eating were 138 percent more likely to put on 6.6 pounds or more.

Columbia University researcher Lance Davidson, who was not involved with the analysis, said the findings highlight an important principle of weight management.

"Because the body's energy requirements progressively decline with age, energy intake must mirror that decrease or weight gain occurs," said Davidson, a research fellow at Columbia's Obesity Research Center. "Dr. Tucker's observation that women who practice eating restraint avoid the significant weight gain commonly observed in middle age is an important health message."

Tucker says watching what you eat is not about physical appearance - it's a direct investment in your health.

"Weight gain and obesity bring a greater risk of diabetes and a number of other chronic diseases," Tucker said. "Eating properly is a skill that needs to be practiced."

The study will be published January 2 in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

Professor Tucker's Tips for Better Eating:

Record what you eat and how much Put less food on your plate Eat more fruits and vegetables; the food pyramid recommends at least five servings per day

byu

"Speed and executive functioning are thought to be among the major components of cognitive health," says co-author Roger Dixon, PhD. With Type 2 diabetes a growing concern among adults of all ages, but especially those above age 30, Dixon says that public health programs could check the cognitive status of people with more advanced or severe cases; ensure that diet and medications are effectively employed in all early diagnosed cases; and enact possible cognitive monitoring or training programs for people with diabetes. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, new cases of diabetes nearly doubled in the past decade, with nearly one new case for every 100 adults between the years 2005 and 2007.

The normal age-related slowing of thought processes could be exacerbated by diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, says Dixon. But, he continues, "There could be some ways to compensate for these declines, at least early and with proper management." The level of impairment detected, he adds, should not make it hard for people to manage their condition.

Diabetes is a known risk factor for late-life neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. Although the deficits detected in the current sample were not clinically significant, they appear (according to subsequent research by the authors) to foreshadow additional deficits. Only further study would reveal whether it's possible to "connect the dots" between mild early deficits in speed and executive function, and later signs of a progressive cognitive impairment.

apa/