Image Source: The Los Angeles Times
BY EMOKE BEBIAK
You're watching multisource video news analysis from Newsy.
Weightloss advice from a doctor? Well, you shouldn’t bet on that... A new study found signing up for Weight Watchers is twice as effective to help shed pounds than following a doctor’s advice.
Medical News Today explains the findings of the year-long study...
“Patients in the Weight Watchers group stayed on the diet in larger numbers, lost more fat mass, lost more weight, and had greater reductions of their waist measurements compared to the those on standard care...”
The research--funded by Weight Watchers--followed almost 800 overweight and obese adults. Half of the participants got a free membership for Weight Watchers, while the other half visited their doctors regularly.
A researcher explains ABC News why Weight Watchers works so well...
“One of the things that a lot of people like about Weight Watchers is that it’s a very simple system to follow. They use that points system, they don’t sort of overload you with information...”
But a doctor tells CNN, it’s unfair to medical practitioners to compare them to Weight Watchers saying,
"It's not terribly surprising that a group whose whole career is basically helping people with weight management would do a better job than a primary-care group that has a lot more responsibilities on top of that."
Time points out the results are nice--but they might not be realistic...
“Of course, there are a few caveats: for one thing, the people who followed the Weight Watchers program didn't have to pay for their memberships. The diet plan can cost members nearly $500 a year in the U.S., which puts it out of reach for many.”
But NPR says, despite the cost, Weigh Watchers is worth it…
“[A] second study suggests that paying for weight-loss programs for pre-diabetic baby boomers could shave billions of dollars off of future Medicaid costs.”
Transcript by Newsy
 |  |  |  |
