Dr
Alex Johnston
The
Rowett Research Institute
This is the time of year that people start a New Year’s
resolution to lose weight. With over half of the Scottish population
collectively overweight or normal weight, there are a lot of people needing
help with body weight control. I hope my research will help them. I am
a nutritional research scientist at the Rowett Research Institute and
over the past 10 years, I have developed my expertise in obesity and
weight loss. I run my own research programme at the Human Nutrition Unit,
investigating prevention and treatment of human obesity. Whenever I tell
people what my work involves, they always want to know the magic way
to lose weight! I’m afraid there is no simple answer! However,
my current research programme has received intense media interest, being
linked to the ‘Atkins diet’. The apparent popularity for
the high protein-low carbohydrate, ketogenic weight loss diet, such as
that advocated for many years by Dr Robert Atkins in his book, ‘New
Diet Revolution’, is the apparent ability to eat as much as
you want and still lose weight. The big question is how does this diet
regime work? There are possible physiological and psychological reasons
why this high protein-low carbohydrate (HPLC) regime is popular. However,
despite its widespread use, and many anecdotal reports, there is a lack
of scientifically proven explanations why this regime works. This is
what I am doing at the Rowett. Once we have an understanding what key
components promote weight loss, then we can develop healthier, longer-term
weight reduction strategies.
In my time at the Rowett, I have had hundred of volunteers
on studies. I have been criticised by some patients because I am not
obese, that I don’t know what it feels like. However, other subjects
say that I practice what I preach. I’ve heard lots of different
stories as to why they are overweight. Some of the popular ones include, “I’ve
got big bones”; “I only have to look at a cream cake to gain
weight”; ‘It’s all muscle – muscle is heavier
than fat”. Fortunately, I have the specialised equipment to measure
all these parameters and can therefore give the hard truth that weight
gain occurs when energy in exceeds energy output. I have sophisticated
equipment to measure body composition; I can measure psychological parameters,
and metabolism and physiology. It’s like looking into a body to
find the answers. However, some anecdotal stories that I hear are true,
like fatigue during dieting and weight re-gain after weight loss.
When volunteers come to the Unit for the first time, many
of them are nervous, not knowing what to expect. I rarely wear a white
coat and have a down to earth, friendly approach to nutrition. My opinion
is that we should look at obesity as a three-stage problem (i) prevention
is better than cure, (ii) getting the weight off to improve health and
(iii) helping people to avoid weight re-gain. We need to recognise that
different regimes are required by different people, and that these three
stages need different intervention strategies to achieve success. Ultimately,
I would like to extend my research into the Primary care setting, away
from just the laboratory setting at the Rowett. There is never a dull day at the Rowett, because my job is varied and
exciting! I could be designing new diets, taking blood samples or in
my office, writing. These type of studies are hard work, with lots of
early mornings and weekend work, but I gain great satisfaction at the
end of a study when subjects lose weight and tell me how much better
they feel. |
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