A grapefruit or two a day, along with a healthy diet, could help shrink widening waistlines. This finding comes from one of several studies on the benefits of citrus fruits presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia. The so-called grapefruit diet -- which advocates mostly eating grapefruit with some protein -- has been popular on and off for weight loss for years, said Dr. Ken Fujioka, director of nutrition and metabolism research at the Scripps Clinic in San Diego and lead author of a study evaluating grapefruit for weight loss. Most nutrition experts have deemed the grapefruit-and-protein regimen unhealthy, and Fujioka is not advocating any return to such a strict diet. However, his findings do suggest that a grapefruit or two each day, added to a balanced diet, might help the weight-conscious stay svelte. In the study, Fujioka and his colleagues assigned 100 men and women who were obese to one of four groups. One group received grapefruit extract, another drank grapefruit juice with each meal, another ate half a grapefruit with each meal, while the fourth group received a placebo. "They weren't trying to diet," he said. "To make everyone even [on activity], all were asked to walk 30 minutes three times a week." At the end of 12 weeks the placebo group lost on average just under half a pound, the extract group 2.4 pounds, the grapefruit juice group 3.3 pounds, and the fresh grapefruit group 3.5 pounds. "In this study they had one and a half grapefruits a day," he noted. "That's not easy to do." And participants ate the fruit more like an orange: "They cut it in half, then into four sections, then separated the fruit from the skin." Eating grapefruit this way is thought to yield more beneficial compounds, he explained. Exactly how grapefruit might spur weight loss isn't known, Fujioka said, but "it appears to help insulin resistance," which develops as people become obese. The weight loss associated with eating grapefruit isn't surprising to another expert familiar with the study. "Eat fruit before any meal and you will lose weight," said Julie Upton, an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman. "The fiber fills you up, and fruit has fewer calories than other foods." One half of a grapefruit has 60 calories, no fat, and six grams of fiber. In analyzing this study, answer the following questions: What were the main questions addressed by the statistical study? What data were collected to answer the questions? How did they collect the data? What variables were measured in the data? Label each variable collected as quantitative or categorical. What were the conclusions drawn from this statistical study? Do you believe that the conclusions are valid based on the information provided?
1.1 Analyzing and writing about a statistical studY
Grapefruit Lowers Weight, Fights Cancer
Studies find benefits to eating the citrus
By Kathleen Doheny
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 25 (HealthDayNews) -- A grapefruit or two a day, along with a healthy diet, could help shrink widening waistlines. This finding comes from one of several studies on the benefits of citrus fruits presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia.
The so-called grapefruit diet -- which advocates mostly eating grapefruit with some protein -- has been popular on and off for weight loss for years, said Dr. Ken Fujioka, director of nutrition and metabolism research at the Scripps Clinic in San Diego and lead author of a study evaluating grapefruit for weight loss. Most nutrition experts have deemed the grapefruit-and-protein regimen unhealthy, and Fujioka is not advocating any return to such a strict diet. However, his findings do suggest that a grapefruit or two each day, added to a balanced diet, might help the weight-conscious stay svelte.
In the study, Fujioka and his colleagues assigned 100 men and women who were obese to one of four groups. One group received grapefruit extract, another drank grapefruit juice with each meal, another ate half a grapefruit with each meal, while the fourth group received a placebo. "They weren't trying to diet," he said. "To make everyone even [on activity], all were asked to walk 30 minutes three times a week."
At the end of 12 weeks the placebo group lost on average just under half a pound, the extract group 2.4 pounds, the grapefruit juice group 3.3 pounds, and the fresh grapefruit group 3.5 pounds.
"In this study they had one and a half grapefruits a day," he noted. "That's not easy to do." And participants ate the fruit more like an orange: "They cut it in half, then into four sections, then separated the fruit from the skin." Eating grapefruit this way is thought to yield more beneficial compounds, he explained. Exactly how grapefruit might spur weight loss isn't known, Fujioka said, but "it appears to help insulin resistance," which develops as people become obese.
The weight loss associated with eating grapefruit isn't surprising to another expert familiar with the study. "Eat fruit before any meal and you will lose weight," said Julie Upton, an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman. "The fiber fills you up, and fruit has fewer calories than other foods." One half of a grapefruit has 60 calories, no fat, and six grams of fiber.
In analyzing this study, answer the following questions:
What were the main questions addressed by the statistical study?
What data were collected to answer the questions?
How did they collect the data?
What variables were measured in the data? Label each variable collected as quantitative or categorical.
What were the conclusions drawn from this statistical study?
Do you believe that the conclusions are valid based on the information provided?
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