Improve Physical Health by Eating a Low-Fat Diet

Maintaining an Appropriate Weight

Maintaining an appropriate weight is essential in the prevention of illness conditions and for participation in various activities. Though numerous variables contribute to the prevalence of these diseases, it is clear that people who are obese are the most afflicted, with increased morbidity and mortality. Reduced fat and calorie intake paired with moderate-intensity physical activity has been demonstrated to reduce body weight and total cholesterol levels. The study will concentrate on the effects of a low-fat diet on athletic endurance. The study will involve sixty students, comprising 30 females and 30 boys. An experimental design will be employed with 30 students in the comparison group and 30 in the control group. Questionnaires will also be used to get data on the demographic data, diet ad activities of the students. The results of the study will be useful in planning menus for various physical activities and meals for the students.

Can Eating a Low-Fat Diet Improve Physical Health?

Overweight and obesity continues to be the leading risk factors for cardiovascular and other conditions such as diabetes in both developing and developed countries (Cecchini et al., 2010). Though many factors are related to the occurrence of these diseases, it is evident that those who are obese are mostly affected with a higher morbidity and mortality amongst them (Myers et al., 2015; Westhoek et al., 2014). Diet has also been established to be a significant influence on health within the society (Katz & Meller, 2014). Recent studies that have focused on obesity and overweight have indicated that weight loss is one of the primary ways of learning how to manage the cardiovascular conditions. Apekey et al. (2009) stated that dieting had been the most common approach that has been used in weight loss through caloric restriction. There is a broad range of diets that have been used both for the internet and advice given by the clinicians on the reduction of some food components (Apekey et al., 2009). According to the above study, overweight individuals and the intake of poor quality diets has been a leading cause of cardiovascular condition but could easily be managed through optimal diet.

The Role of Physical Activities

Additionally, research indicates that the management of weight does not only depend on dieting but the involvement in physical activities (Volek, Noakes & Phinney, 2015). Reduction in intake of fats and some calories combined with moderate-intensity physical activities has been shown to reduce the weight and the amount of total cholesterol in the body (Volek, Noakes & Phinney, 2015). Another study conducted by Drewnowski et al. (2016) indicated that the involvement in physical activities and intake of healthy diets were associated with a low prevalence of obesity both at baseline and after 12 months. As such, the study showed that health outcomes depend on the uptake of relevant behavioral pathways for the maintenance of adequate weight. However, Drewnowski, Darmon & Briend (2004) indicated that individuals preferred the consumption of sweets and fatty foods since it was suitable for their low cost of living since access to vegetables and fruits was expensive. The study showed that people were not concerned about healthy foods as long as they were not pocket-friendly (Drewnowski, Darmon & Briend, 2004). In this way, obesity became prevalent for most of the individuals as they had to consume high fats and sweets to maintain their cost of living. Similarly, another study conducted on the intake of fatty diets showed no effect on the weight of individuals through the amount of fats in their diet (Swift et al., 2014). Low-fat diets are not related to the prevention of cardiovascular conditions, and also they are associated with the intake of more carbohydrates. The study shows that there needs to balance in the dietary intake to ensure that a healthy weight is maintained. Therefore, the present study focuses on whether the consumption of a low-fat diet could lead to the improvement of physical health.

Methodology

A quantitative research methodology will be used to conduct through the experimental design employed. The purpose is to increase the knowledge on the influence of low-fat diets on the physical endurance of participants.

Study Variables

The independent variables in the study will include dietary intake and gender. A group of members will be subjected to the intake of low-fat diets while others will consume the regular diet for the students at the school. On the other hand, the measure of physical endurance will be used as the dependent variable as influenced by the gender and dietary intake of the participants.

Participants

The research will include an experimental design that will contain the experimental group and control group. The participants will include sixty students equally divided between the two groups. A purposeful sampling including 30 females and 30 males will be used in the study. The independent sample design will be used for the selected individuals where each of them will be randomly assigned to the two groups for the experiment. Each participant will follow a specific meal plan for four weeks with those in the experimental group feeding on low-fat diets while the control will continue to use the regular student food. The students will then be required to report the amount of time spent on the treadmill for four days each week as a test of their physical stamina. The independent variables in the study will include a low-fat diet and gender while the dependent variable in the study will be physical endurance.

Materials

A self-administered questionnaire will be used to gather information on the demographic characteristics, daily diet, and the schedule of physical activities. The participants are required to record their operations daily and the reduction in weight after every week. Also, a timer to measure endurance in each activity session will be used for all the participants to ensure that the difference is taken into account. Participants will also be provided with guides to the required diet, with those in the experimental group receiving common foods with a specific fat content.

Results

The design of the study involved selected students who will be placed in two different categories to determine the difference in the intake of fats and its influence on their physical endurance. The questionnaires used will be analyzed through descriptive statistics of their demographic data and dietary analysis of their daily consumption. On the other hand, their physical endurance will be analyzed through the use of ANOVA and statistical packages.

The statistical packages will also be used to measure the relationship between the reduction in the intake of fats and the influence on their physical endurance. There will be a comparison between the intake of low-fat diet and regular foods with the effect on weight gain between the females and males. The study aims to discuss the variable that affects the level of endurance to identifying the necessary adjustments that ensure that weight is maintained for different genders and prevention of different disease conditions maintained.

Discussion

The study seeks to determine the intake of low-fat diets and their influence on physical endurance and weight gain for the individuals in the study. The consumption of high-fat foods has been related to an increase in the weight of people, effects on their level of activity, and an increase in the risk factor for cardiovascular conditions (Apekey et al., 2009). According to a previously conducted study, the intake of better diets and the involvement in physical activities has been associated with a low prevalence of obesity for individuals. As such, with the previous studies, it is expected that the present research will provide positive results on the increased endurance of physical exercises for those who have a lower intake of fats (Apekey et al., 2009; Myers et al., 2015). This is because the consumption of fats could lead to obesity since it is not readily utilized during activities and hence the reduction in endurance for the students.

The study indicated that a balance in the intake of nutrients and the involvement in physical activities would maintain and improve the weight of individuals. Some studies have shown the benefits of the type and amount of fat intake while others do not indicate any benefit to the individual (Katz & Meller, 2014; Myers et al., 2015). The current study will focus on clarifying whether there is any beneficial impact on the level of endurance for those who reduce their intake while comparing the results between females and males.

A quantitative research method will be used through questionnaires since they are an easy and logical way to collect the relevant information from the participants for both ordinal and nominal data. The experimental design will be used for the study since there is a smaller sample size and it has been proven to be reliable in giving likely results. The use of a control group enables the researcher to compare their performance and identify the presence of any difference in the study participants. However, there are limitations to the use of this method since the results may fail to be generalized to the target group and may not be adequately represented. Also, it is costly and time-consuming since it requires being conducted over a long time with a large population needed for the proper representation of the target group.

Consequently, conducting the study will be appropriate since it will inform decision making for the involvement in specific activities. It will help institutions such as schools to plan their meals to ensure that the students can quickly get involved in specific activities (Gunzer, Konrad & Pail, 2012). Appropriate diets will also be scheduled for those engaging in sporting activities to enhance their endurance and reduce the prevalence of obesity (Rodriguez, DiMarco & Langley, 2009).

References

Apekey, T. A., Morris, A. J., Fagbemi, S., & Griffiths, G. J. (2009). Effects of low-fat and low-GI diets on health. Nutrition & Food Science, 39(6), 663-675.

Cecchini, M., Sassi, F., Lauer, J. A., Lee, Y. Y., Guajardo-Barron, V., & Chisholm, D. (2010). Tackling of unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and obesity: health effects and cost-effectiveness. The Lancet, 376(9754), 1775-1784.

Drewnowski, A., Aggarwal, A., Tang, W., Hurvitz, P. M., Scully, J., Stewart, O., & Moudon, A. V. (2016). Obesity, diet quality, physical activity, and the built environment: the need for behavioral pathways. BMC Public Health, 16(1), 1153.

Drewnowski, A., Darmon, N., & Briend, A. (2004). Replacing fats and sweets with vegetables and fruits-a question of cost. American Journal of Public Health, 94(9), 1555-1559.

Gunzer, W., Konrad, M., & Pail, E. (2012). Exercise-induced immunodepression in endurance athletes and nutritional intervention with carbohydrate, protein and fat-what is possible, what is not?. Nutrients, 4(9), 1187-1212.

Katz, D. L., & Meller, S. (2014). Can we say what diet is best for health?. Annual review of public health, 35, 83-103.

Myers, J., McAuley, P., Lavie, C. J., Despres, J. P., Arena, R., & Kokkinos, P. (2015). Physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness as major markers of cardiovascular risk: their independent and interwoven importance to health status. Progress in cardiovascular diseases, 57(4), 306-314.

Rodriguez, N. R., DiMarco, N. M., & Langley, S. (2009). Nutrition and athletic performance. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 41(3), 709-731.

Swift, D. L., Johannsen, N. M., Lavie, C. J., Earnest, C. P., & Church, T. S. (2014). The role of exercise and physical activity in weight loss and maintenance. Progress in cardiovascular diseases, 56(4), 441-447.

Volek, J. S., Noakes, T., & Phinney, S. D. (2015). Rethinking fat as a fuel for endurance exercise. European journal of sport science, 15(1), 13-20.

Westhoek, H., Lesschen, J. P., Rood, T., Wagner, S., De Marco, A., Murphy-Bokern, D., ... & Oenema, O. (2014). Food choices, health and environment: effects of cutting Europe’s meat and dairy intake. Global Environmental Change, 26, 196-205.