A new national survey from MD-VIP on the nation's Fat IQ finds most Americans are ill informed when it comes to diet and weight loss.
While 85 percent of Americans say they know how to eat right, more than half flunked a basic quiz on dietary facts and weight loss.
Dr. Andrea Klemes , chief medical officer at MD-VIP says, "It's easy for people to become overwhelmed by the constant flood of information, which can be confusing. For instance, many people still believe that strength training makes it harder to lose weight, when actually having more muscle helps you burn more calories."
A majority of Americans failed the quiz on diet and weight loss . She says, “Americans need help separating the facts from fiction. 85 percent of Americans thought that they knew the basics, yet over half of Americans flunked the quiz.”
The survey shows a staggering 82 percent of adults are currently over their ideal weight. When it comes to shedding excess pounds, 4 out of 5 Americans say that hearing from a doctor that they need to lose weight would motivate them (83 percent).
Dr. Klemes said that the state of Georgia scored below the the national average, in the Fat IQ, so residents need to know a little bit more.
“80 percent of Americans felt that if a doctor told them to lose weight or if they were diagnosed with a chronic health condition, it would motivate them to do something about their weight loss. But only one in 5 Americans has asked their doctor for help,” Klemes said.
An even greater number (90 percent) say they would be influenced if a doctor told them that they have a serious health risk. Yet, only 1 in 5 Americans say they've actually asked their primary care doctor for weight loss help or advice (20 percent).
“We find in the MD-VIP survey, that people tend to go to their personal trainers or their family members - not exactly the best experts on nutrition, health and nutrition facts, specially not on a personal level.”
Dr. Klemes said, "Obesity is a serious disease that warrants medical attention and treatment. Yet, the survey data suggests that Americans aren't tapping into the one resource that could have the most influence on their weight – their physician.
“Americans think they know enough, which I think is probably a lot of the problem. But they don’t, and they need to partner with a physician to educate them and learn about them and their body.”
To learn more about the survey results and to test your own Fat IQ, visit www.mdvip.com/FatIQ.