11/7/00

Contacts:
Doug Lewis, Food Science and Human Nutrition, (515) 294-7326
Barbara McManus, Ag Communications Service, (515) 294-0707

NUTRITION SCIENCE CLASS PREVENTS WEIGHT GAIN FOR STUDENTS

AMES, Iowa -- The legendary weight gain sometimes experienced by college freshmen didn't occur for students who took a course in nutritional science. Doug Lewis, an ISU nutrition biochemist, said the students that benefited from the class were the ones with a higher body mass index indicating a higher ratio of body fat.

The class has been offered since 1995 to help students prevent weight gain, particularly the legendary "freshman 15." That is the name for the reputed 15 pounds students sometimes gain during their first year at college. Lewis said no published studies had been done to show whether freshmen actually gain weight.

Lewis initiated the study to find out if freshmen actually gained weight and if a science-based nutrition course could help them control weight. During the 1997-1998 school year 40 students participated in the 16-month study. The students' weight and body mass index, which is an index of body fatness, was measured at the beginning and end of the course and one year later.

The study compared weight gain in students enrolled in the class and those who weren't. The results indicated that students with normal body mass indexes in both groups didn't gain weight. The results differed for students with a higher body mass index.

"Students who took the course maintained their weight throughout the study and even lost a little weight when they were checked one year later. Students who didn't take the class gained an average of 15 to 20 pounds over the year," said Oksana Matvienko, an ISU researcher who helped Lewis conduct the study.

Preventing weight gain in young adults is the purpose of the class that delves into the genetics, physiology and metabolism surrounding nutrition and the regulation of body fat. Lewis uses teaching techniques that demonstrate how fat cells work to store body fat for survival and how environment and genetics work together to cause obesity. The class is designed to help students understand the science behind weight gain and to give them the knowledge to make better lifestyle decisions.

"What they learn gives them the power to make correct choices, but it doesn't mean they'll make those choices," Lewis said.

One lesson Lewis emphasized was the importance of accepting their weight. He said it's important for students to understand that sometimes weight gain is due to factors that are out of their control.

"People should accept their weight. You can't fight genetics. If you do, you are fighting a losing battle. But you can do things to minimize excessive weight gain," Lewis said.

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