Weight management can prevent disease.

Women are at a higher risk for five of the leading causes of death--heart disease, certain types of cancer, stroke, diabetes, and atherosclerosis--because of a propensity toward weight gain and obesity. According to a comprehensive survey of scientific research to identify what is known and what is needed on the relationship between weight management and women's health, strategies to maintain a safe weight and prevent further weight gain are vital to improved health and quality of life. Nutrition experts are shifting their focus away from traditional, restrictive dieting strategies to emphasize a low-fat, high-carbohydrate food plan combined with exercise and healthy eating patterns.

In a Gallup poll of more than 1,000 females, "the majority of women were aware of the relationship between nutrition and exercise and disease prevention, but there were still significant gaps between knowledge and behavior," notes Susan Calvert Finn, president, The American Dietetic Association. This is information that can extend and improve women's lives, and it is clear that there is a need for more education.

Sachiko T. St. Jeor, a registered dietitian at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, emphasizes that, in most cases, weight management efforts are extremely beneficial to a woman's over-all health. However, further research is still needed to:

* More clearly...