2012 in Review: Extreme Dieting | Britannica Blog

Since 1938 Britannica?s annual Book of the Year has offered in-depth coverage of the events of the previous year. While the book won?t appear in print for several months, some of its outstanding content is already available online. With Thanksgiving around the corner, this article by Britannica contributor Kevin Davis is especially timely.

The Fad-Diet and Weight-Loss Obsession

By 2012 the never-ending obsession with weight loss had driven dieters around the globe to new extremes?ranging from a liquid diet delivered through the nose to a spiritually inspired eating plan based on the Bible. The perennial popularity of fad diets reflected an insatiable hunger to slim down quickly and with little effort, despite the long-standing advice from the medical community that slow and steady wins the weight-loss race.

A bride-to-be has a feeding tube removed because it was causing her to lose too much weight. Credit: Barbara Fernandez?The New York Times/Redux

At one extreme is a feeding-tube diet, offered in Italy, Spain, England, and the United States. It has proved popular with brides-to-be eager to slim down prior to their wedding day. Dieters under a physician?s supervision consume low-calorie liquid meals via a tube that slides down the nose, through the esophagus, and into the stomach. This radical plan joins a long list of fad diets (introduced by entrepreneurs, doctors, dieticians, and hucksters) that have been marketed to the public for nearly 200 years. While some popular plans can be effective and safe, many of the gimmicky fads put dieters at risk for serious health problems.

Fad diets began to gain in popularity in the 19th century. One of the earliest was developed by Presbyterian minister Sylvester Graham, who in 1829 created a diet based on the consumption of vegetarian foods, caffeine-free drinks, and a supplement of his ?Graham crackers.? Specially formulated cookies, snack bars, and sweet treats would become common among fad diets in the years to come. The popular low-carbohydrate (low-carb) diet had its origins in late 19th-century England, where a casket maker named William Banting claimed that he had lost 23 kg (50 lb) by eating high-protein, low-carb foods.

Many more bizarre diets were pitched to the public, including a chew-and-spit plan, a meat-and-fat regimen, and a program consisting of bananas and skim milk. In the early 20th century, the Salisbury Diet, which included rump steak, codfish, and hot water, became the holy grail of weight loss. Later diets were built on eating grapefruit, watermelon, and cabbage soup. One plan, popular with celebrities, involves fasting and drinking a mixture of lemonade or water with cayenne pepper and maple syrup.

The problem with many diets is that people are left hungry (not to mention nutrient-deprived). This gave rise to a number of appetite suppressants, some of which were banned for being dangerous and sometimes deadly. ?Fen-phen,? a combination of fenfluramine and phentermine, was banned by the FDA in 1997 after having been linked to heart-valve disease. Ephedra, another supplement, was banned in 2003 after users reported suffering adverse health effects and researchers tied it to high blood pressure and heart stress. Nutritionists advise that drinking water or eating healthful fruits and vegetables are natural ways to stave off hunger.

Still, dieters often complain that they feel deprived of the foods that they crave, and many are thus driven to plans that promise weight loss but do not eliminate tasty foods. In the 1970s the unfortunately named Ayds reducing plan, featuring chewy candy in several flavours, was popular. More recently physician Sanford Siegel introduced a cookie diet, in which followers of the plan eat four to six formulated packaged cookies, along with one low-calorie meal. The cookies, according to Siegel, contain proteins from animal sources and plant fibre. Other cookie diets include the Hollywood Cookie Diet and the Soypal Cookie Diet, consisting of morsels composed of soy pulp.

During the past three decades, low-carb, high-protein diets have gained in popularity because dieters lose weight while eating large amounts of filling foods. The low-carb, high-protein diet gained traction with the release of such books as Dr. Aktins? Diet Revolution (1972) by Robert C. Atkins and The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet (1982) by cardiologist Herman Tarnower. The idea was that too many carbohydrates inhibit the body?s ability to burn calories. The Atkins diet did not focus on lean proteins, however. It encouraged dieters to consume such foods as bacon, eggs, and cheeseburgers sans the buns. Only small salads and limited fruits and vegetables were allowed. While dieters lost weight, the plans were criticized because they were high in saturated fat and cholesterol, thought to be major contributors to heart disease.

French physician Pierre Dukan outlined his low-carb plan, similar to that of the Atkins diet, in Je ne satis pas maigrir (2000; The Dukan Diet, 2010). Though the Dukan diet encourages consumption of protein, it emphasizes lean proteins. Dukan claims that eating large amounts of protein keeps dieters from feeling hungry and helps them to lose weight because the body absorbs fewer protein-based calories compared with other foods. The American Dietetic Association (now the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) called his claims unfounded and criticized the diet itself for being unbalanced.

The notion that fat is entirely bad was questioned after some studies showed that saturated fat is not the demon once thought and may not increase the risk of heart disease or stroke as much as previously believed. Still, leading medical studies are wary of high-protein, low-carb diets. In 2004 The Lancet medical journal published a review of such diets, citing common complaints of constipation and headache, as well as muscle cramps, diarrhea, weakness, and bad breath. Whereas such diets might be suitable in the short term, the study said, a restricted intake of fruit, vegetables, and whole-grain breads and cereals is not nutritionally adequate in the long term and could pose ?a second-line increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.?

Nutritionists caution that dieters should beware of plans that tout a single or limited number of foods, because such regimens are unbalanced and often fall short of meeting a person?s nutritional needs. Moreover, doctors warn that extreme diets that promise rapid weight loss not only do not work but also can be dangerous. Once off the plan, dieters often gain back the weight and sometimes wind up even heavier than they were prior to the diet. Most successful diet plans involve gradual weight loss combined with a change in eating and exercise habits. Long-term weight loss and exercise will not only make dieters look and feel better but also help to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and type II (adult-onset) diabetes.

A number of well-established diets, using balanced nutrition and exercise, have shown long-term success, Two such options, Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, for example, offer not only plans but also products, counseling, and support. Jenny Craig was named the best among six popular diets analyzed by Consumer Reports Health magazine in 2011, followed by Weight Watchers. Jenny Craig earned the top mark because 92% of the participants in the trial stayed with the diet for two years and lost about 8% of their weight. In the Jenny Craig plan, dieters eat packaged portion-controlled foods along with homemade side dishes.

Other sensible popular diets have religious ties, blending healthy eating and spirituality. In 2006 Jordan S. Rubin created the Maker?s Diet, which is grounded in a biblically based diet and lifestyle. It is also based on sound, reasonable principles, such as avoiding foods that are refined and processed, as well as consuming modest portions. Best-selling author and pastor Rick Warren announced in 2012 that he had lost 27 kg (60 lb) the previous year on a regimen that he dubbed the Daniel Plan, named for the biblical character who eats healthily to honour God. Like Rubin?s diet, Warren?s plan is built on eating healthful foods and exercising regularly; it also features a spiritual component that includes prayer and stress-reduction techniques.

For all the promises that arrive with each new fad diet, experts continue to emphasize that balance is the key. The reality television program The Biggest Loser?which debuted on American TV in 2004?features morbidly obese contestants in their quest to lose weight by submitting to a plan that combines strenuous exercise with healthy eating choices. By 2012 the popular program was airing in 90 countries, where entranced viewers saw the contestants struggle?some with great difficulty?to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Source: http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2012/11/2012-review-extreme-dieting/

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