Does Frequent Snacking Speed Up Metabolism?

There exists a common “dietary myth” about frequent snacking, which states that eating numerous small meals a day speeds up metabolic processes and promotes weight loss. However, a new Australian study has revealed that the “snack diet” does not help people lose excess pounds any faster than a conventional, three-meal-a-day dietary plan.

The researchers tested a commonly-believed theory that dividing daily food intake into five or six small portions facilitates metabolism and promotes burning of body fat. They put a group of obese volunteers, both men and women, on a low-calorie, healthful diet that required frequent snacking. A control group of subjects were asked to eat a diet that featured the same food groups, with the same amount of calories as the “snack group”, but their food intake followed a conventional model of three meals a day – breakfast, lunch and dinner. The total of 179 severely overweight individuals participated in the trial.

At the end of the study, the scientists compared weight loss achieved by people of the two groups, and found NO significant difference in the amount of weight they lost. The conclusion of the trial is that frequent snacking does not promote additional weight loss, in comparison with a dietary regime that involves just three meals a day.

The leading author of the research, dietician Michelle Palmer of the University of Newcastle, has pointed out that the study did not confirm the assumption that eating five to six small meals a day is better for weight loss purposes. In fact, she said, it does not matter whether we eat more often or more regularly. What really matters is what foods we eat and how many calories we consume – eating healthier foods and practising caloric restriction is the only proven method of losing excess weight. A commonly held idea that frequent snacking can help us boost up the metabolic rate, burn body fats fast, and shed off extra weight is just a myth, she concluded.

The results of the study showed that people of both groups lost the same amount of weight due to the caloric restriction, but no difference was observed in their waist measurements, BMI, or blood glucose levels.

Dr. Tim Crowe, who participated in the research, said that this new study had disclosed yet another “faddish” approach to dieting. Eating five daily snacks in a fast-food restaurant, instead of consuming three healthful home-made meals, certainly won’t help overweight people drop their “extra tire”, he added.

According to the dieticians, keeping your diet simple; building your nutrition around healthy foods, such as whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables and low-fat proteins; limiting the amount of consumed calories; drinking lots of plain water; and exercising regularly are the best ways to achieve a steady rate of weight loss.

According to the last Australian survey on nutrition, more than half of the adult population of the country tend to eat two to four times a day, while about 37 percent enjoy eating more frequently – up to seven times a day.

Tim Ford

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