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Consumers spend billions of dollars annually in attempting to lose weight through various diet regimes, yet they know relatively little about the short- and long-term health effects of these popular weight-loss techniques. The USDA sponsored Great Nutrition Debate last year uncovered a long-neglected need for rigorous research on popular diets. At the National Nutrition Summit held in May, 2000, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman announced the development of a research program on weight-loss strategies.
The USDA and its Human Nutrition Research Centers will lead this effort to provide science based information to American consumers to better evaluate the appropriate weight-loss strategies to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This initiative is responsive to the popularity of various diets - many of these diets have not been adequately tested for efficacy and safety - as well as responsive to the growing concern about the increase in obesity in the American population. Are there any adverse health consequences to certain type of diets? How quickly should weights be dropped? Will the weight stay-off? What motivates people to lose weight and to maintain weight? What are the barriers to losing weight and/or to maintaining weight? To fill this knowledge gap, USDA is launching a coordinated nutrition research program on popular diets.
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