Fad Diet Fallacies
The Fallacies of Fad Diets
The people will live on.
The learning and blundering people will live on.
They will be tricked and sold and again sold.
And go back to the nourishing earth for rootholds.
− Carl Sandburg, The People Speak “How did Jennifer Lopez lose 40 pounds after having twin babies? The Dukan Diet is the answer!” or “Jennifer Hudson lost 80 Lbs! Thanks to Weight Watchers!” − thumb through any supermarket tabloid or spend only an hour in front of TV and you 'll catch a glimpse of the latest post-baby bikini-clad celebrity, promoting the next fad diet. The praise of rapid weight loss, promoted by famous people, sends the message to the public that this is a safe and achievable goal. However, nowadays many studies proved …show more content…
A study published in 1998 in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that low-fat diets may also cause hormonal swings that can disrupt the balance of serotonin in the brain. Improper serotonin production can lead to suicide or depression (Wells 24).
Several clinical and intervention trials examining the effect of low-fat diets on weight indicate that diets lower in fat can result in modest reductions in body weight in the short-term, but in the long run energy intake from fat has a negligible effect on body weight (Harvard Women 's Health Watch). The Harvard study, of nearly 50,000 women, found that eating low-fat diets for eight years offered no health benefits — no lowered risk for heart disease, stroke, colon cancer or breast cancer.
At the same time all above mentioned doesn’t mean that we can consume enormous amounts of fat and stay fit and healthy as some researchers believe. For instance, Michael Pollan in his book “In Defense of Food” was so delighted by “French paradox”, the diet rich in saturated fat, while forgetting to mention the fact that 42% of France’s population is overweight (Sciolino). Eating too much trans fat and saturated fat, for example, are proven risks for heart disease, while eating more omega-3 fats and monounsaturated fats can reduce those risks. Some studies suggest that the type of fat you eat can affect your cancer risk as well
The people will live on.
The learning and blundering people will live on.
They will be tricked and sold and again sold.
And go back to the nourishing earth for rootholds.
− Carl Sandburg, The People Speak “How did Jennifer Lopez lose 40 pounds after having twin babies? The Dukan Diet is the answer!” or “Jennifer Hudson lost 80 Lbs! Thanks to Weight Watchers!” − thumb through any supermarket tabloid or spend only an hour in front of TV and you 'll catch a glimpse of the latest post-baby bikini-clad celebrity, promoting the next fad diet. The praise of rapid weight loss, promoted by famous people, sends the message to the public that this is a safe and achievable goal. However, nowadays many studies proved …show more content…
A study published in 1998 in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that low-fat diets may also cause hormonal swings that can disrupt the balance of serotonin in the brain. Improper serotonin production can lead to suicide or depression (Wells 24).
Several clinical and intervention trials examining the effect of low-fat diets on weight indicate that diets lower in fat can result in modest reductions in body weight in the short-term, but in the long run energy intake from fat has a negligible effect on body weight (Harvard Women 's Health Watch). The Harvard study, of nearly 50,000 women, found that eating low-fat diets for eight years offered no health benefits — no lowered risk for heart disease, stroke, colon cancer or breast cancer.
At the same time all above mentioned doesn’t mean that we can consume enormous amounts of fat and stay fit and healthy as some researchers believe. For instance, Michael Pollan in his book “In Defense of Food” was so delighted by “French paradox”, the diet rich in saturated fat, while forgetting to mention the fact that 42% of France’s population is overweight (Sciolino). Eating too much trans fat and saturated fat, for example, are proven risks for heart disease, while eating more omega-3 fats and monounsaturated fats can reduce those risks. Some studies suggest that the type of fat you eat can affect your cancer risk as well