Fad diets: effectiveness and risks

2017-03-01

Patients often want to lose weight with minimal effort, primarily through all sorts of diets, which, unfortunately, are not always beneficial. Let's look at the effectiveness and usefulness of popular diets from the Internet.

Natalya Mikhneva, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Department of Internal Medicine No. 1 of the National Medical University named after. A. A. Bogomolets, nutritionist-gastroenterologist of the Healthy Nutrition Medical Center (Ukraine)

As a rule, the desire to lose weight becomes especially acute in the spring and summer, because you really want to fit into your favorite sundress or summer trousers! But, being lazy creatures by nature, we, like our clients, often want to achieve results with minimal effort, primarily with the help of all sorts of diets, which, unfortunately, are not always beneficial. We are often asked for advice on the effectiveness of a particular fashion diet. That is why we decided to take a description of the five most popular diets from the Internet and comment on each of them from the perspective of benefits and harms, effectiveness and ineffectiveness, possible consequences, etc. Do you want to know what this “debriefing” led to? Read the article - perhaps it will help you dissuade one of your clients from the risky idea of going on a fashionable and advertised diet and thereby keep them healthy.

Atkins diet

A low-carbohydrate diet developed by cardiologist Robert Atkins based on research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association by Gordon Azar and Walter Lyons Bloom. Atkins used the method described in the article to combat his own excess weight.

What is the essence of this weight loss method? The Atkins diet limits carbohydrate intake to switch metabolism from using glucose as energy “fuel” to burning fat stored in the human body. In the first week, the low-carbohydrate Atkins diet excludes all carbohydrates from the diet, including fruits, milk, beets, potatoes, and carrots. The next week, add 5 grams of carbohydrates per day, then 10 grams, and so on, until the amount of carbohydrates is established at the level at which the person continues to lose weight or maintains a reduced weight (at about 40-50 grams of carbohydrates).

Prohibited foods: bread, baked goods, corn, flour dishes, fruits, carrots, beets, peas, beans, sweet compotes, syrups, ice cream, milk, rice, raisins, figs.

Rapid weight loss on this diet is due to the fact that a person immediately begins to lose body weight due to the loss of fluid, and not fat, as many believe. This is due to the ability of carbohydrates to bind liquid and retain it in the body. While following this diet, ketone bodies (protein metabolic products) are formed; in excess, they cause a feeling of nausea and aversion to food, so a person begins to eat less. But a prolonged increase in ketone bodies also leads to an increase in uric acid levels, and as a result, a tendency to form kidney stones develops. The level of potassium and sodium is disturbed, which, in turn, can even lead to heart rhythm disturbances, so you must take vitamins and minerals in parallel, and also see a doctor who will prescribe the necessary tests.

Strict restriction of carbohydrates in the diet can seriously affect the well-being of even a healthy person, therefore this diet is strictly prohibited for older people due to serious side effects such as constipation; in addition, since with such a diet little dietary fiber enters the body, blood thickening occurs, which can result in increased blood clot formation. With this diet, chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract, if the patient has any, will also worsen.

Thus, my conclusion is the following: the Atkins diet can only be followed by young people who are practically healthy and under the supervision of a doctor.

Protasov's diet

The menu of this diet is designed for 5 weeks - from strict vegetables at the beginning of the diet to a food-rich menu at the end:

week 1: you can only eat raw vegetables (in any quantity), cottage cheese (low-fat cheese), 5% fat yoghurts; You can diversify your diet with one boiled chicken egg per day;
week 2: this week repeats the first (vegetables, cheeses, yoghurts), you can refuse eggs;
week 3: vegetables are required, the consumption of cheeses and yoghurts is reduced and partially replaced with meat products (you need to add 300 grams of fried meat, fish or chicken to the diet);
weeks 4–5: vegetables in any form, cheeses, meat, eggs, apples are allowed.

Online forums call the main advantage of Protasov’s diet the unlimited amount of food consumed. Such a diet is psychologically easier to accept. You can come across statements that “shuffling” puts the metabolism in order due to the absence of carbohydrates with a high glycemic index; as a result of the diet, the functioning of the pancreas is normalized and cravings for sweets are reduced.

Although they write that a diet with a low glycemic index affects the normalization of metabolic processes in the pancreas, this only applies to carbohydrate metabolism. But at the same time, apologists for this style of eating completely forget that in the first two weeks a person eats exclusively raw plant foods and there are no protein foods or cereals in the diet. All this, on the contrary, will cause an exacerbation of chronic gastroenterological diseases - for example, the same chronic pancreatitis, gastritis, peptic ulcers; Intestinal problems will also arise. In addition, with such a diet, there is not only a deficiency of essential amino acids, which are not produced in the human body and must be supplied daily with food, but also many vitamins, both fat- and water-soluble (for example, group B).

In a word, the diet for the diet we are considering is very meager and undiversified, especially in the first two weeks, so you cannot adhere to this diet on your own, without consulting a doctor, otherwise serious health problems will arise.

Ducan's diet

The diet of the French nutritionist Dukan, which has conquered millions of people around the world, consists of four stages:

on the first, you need to eat only proteins (for example, meat, fish, eggs) and drink about 3 liters of water per day; during this period there is a sharp weight loss;
at the second stage, protein days alternate with days when you can eat some types of vegetables;
at the third stage, moderate consumption of some fruits, potatoes, and rice is allowed;
on the fourth (which, according to the recommendations of the diet developer, should last until the end of life), you can return to your usual diet, but follow three rules: eat three tablespoons of oat bran daily, refuse elevators and escalators, and devote one day a week exclusively to protein foods.

The British Dietetic Association in November 2011 recognized the Dukan diet as the most dangerous in the world, since this method of eating involves a complete rejection of two categories of nutrients needed by the body - carbohydrates and fats. I completely agree with nutritionists, since this diet contradicts all the canons of a balanced diet: there are no fats, including vegetable fats, which are so necessary for our body, and carbohydrates, including complex ones (for example, in the form of porridge), - after all, a few spoons of bran cannot replace complete intake of dietary fiber and B vitamins. Also, at the first and second stages, fruits are not consumed, and this is also a deficiency of many water-soluble vitamins, microelements, and the same fiber.

A person following such a diet may be bothered by complaints from the gastrointestinal tract, pain, and constipation. The Dukan diet is contraindicated in patients with cardiovascular pathology and the elderly. It’s good that at least physical activity is recommended, and the drinking regime is sufficient, but I don’t find any other positive aspects.

Japanese diet

This diet involves the complete exclusion of sugar, salt, alcohol, flour and confectionery products from the diet, but not for life, but only for 13 days.

The Japanese diet menu consists of a certain set of products and is scheduled in a certain sequence by day. The diet includes black coffee (naturally ground, without sugar), hard-boiled eggs, fresh cabbage and carrot salads, low-fat kefir, tomato juice, boiled beef and fish, and fresh fruit. Everything is prepared without salt, salads are dressed with any vegetable oil, with the addition of a few drops of fresh lemon juice. Fruits can be consumed in any quantity, with the exception of grapes, which, compared to other fruits, have much more calories and sugar.

At least the fact that this diet is designed for only 13 days already says a lot. After all, when a person, even a practically healthy one, adheres to it for a longer time, serious problems with the body are guaranteed.

Moreover, if, according to the Japanese diet, for breakfast you drink only a cup of coffee and eat a cracker, then, believe me, by lunchtime you will wake up with a brutal feeling of hunger, which cannot be satisfied with just a salad. Therefore, breakfast should be as complete and balanced as possible, and this is completely contrary to the principles of the Japanese diet. It’s good that vegetable fats are not excluded from the diet, vegetables are recommended, but, on the other hand, after several days on boiled meat and fish, and even without salt, you will definitely want something forbidden. Therefore, my assessment of the Japanese diet will be negative. This method certainly contradicts the canons of rational nutrition.

Buckwheat diet

Mono-diet, that is, providing for the consumption of only one product, which does not require quantitative restrictions. The effectiveness of the diet (even in the absence of a limit on the size of servings) is due to the low calorie content of buckwheat. Supporters of “buckwheat” argue that adding protein to the diet as part of kefir makes it possible to completely abandon other products. The duration of the diet is up to 14 days. There are no restrictions on the amount of buckwheat eaten per day. Additionally, you can drink no more than one liter of low-fat (1%) kefir per day. The buckwheat diet completely prohibits the use of any additional foods or seasonings (including salt and sugar).

My opinion is this: all monocomponent diets (where it is recommended to consume only one food for a certain time) need to be said categorically “no”! The only plus is that it is advised to follow the buckwheat diet for no more than two weeks, otherwise serious health problems are possible.

I can’t understand why other cereals are not suitable for creating a menu? A complete absence of fruits and vegetables in the diet will lead to a deficiency of many vitamins (for example, vitamin C), minerals, and trace elements. The amount of protein that a person on this diet will receive with one percent kefir is also negligible.

In principle, this applies to all monocomponent diets. A healthy diet should be as varied and balanced as possible; every day we must consume more than 40 essential substances that cannot be produced in our body and must be supplied with food! If you haven’t eaten something today, then tomorrow, remembering the need for good nutrition, you should get what you need - amino acids, some fatty acids (linoleic and linolenic), vitamins, and microelements. After all, one product, no matter how good it may be, cannot have all this. Therefore, eat a varied diet, and if you decide to go on a diet, seek help from a specialist.

***

To summarize, I am forced to state that today a universal diet has not yet been invented that could solve all problems with excess weight without causing harm to the body. Only a nutritionist can competently, taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient’s body and concomitant diseases, create a diet to solve the task assigned to him; At the same time, the patient should be under the supervision of a specialist and undergo periodic examinations so as not to miss any changes, especially in a positive direction, because then it will be easier to solve painful problems. In addition, all medical nutrition recommendations are followed for at least six months.

Perhaps only in our country people still get advice from the Internet, glossy magazines, from friends and acquaintances, hoping to get results without much effort. In fact, a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition should accompany a person from birth: it is necessary to instill and instill in a child a culture of nutrition from childhood, and not be lazy in preparing wholesome and healthy food. Without a doubt, the future lies in preventive medicine and proper nutrition.

First published: Les Nouvelles Esthetiques Ukraine, No. 3 (79), 2013