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Fad
diets tend to flake, committee advises
By Ryan May
On-line Forty-Niner
Walking through
your local nutrition store, you're likely to find an isle
offering dietary products like Atkins, Zone, Protein Power,
Sugar Busters and the Stillman diet, promising rapid weight
loss by trimming a particular component of your diet.
Americans spend more than $30 billion annually on these and
other weight loss products, hoping to rapidly lose unwanted
weight. Yet according to an advisory from the American Heart
Association's nutrition committee, there is no evidence that
any of these products work. The report even goes so far as
to say that, "in general, quick weight-loss diets don't
work for most people."
"Do not plan to lose 25 pounds in two weeks," said
Louis Grivetti, professor of nutrition at the UC Davis. "It
can't be done, regardless of what some ads say."
The advisory also points out the danger in using these products
over a long period of time. By relying on high-fat animal
foods, such as meat and eggs, high-protein diets can increase
the risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke and several
types of cancer.
Under the Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act of
1994, manufacturers are responsible to ensure the products
they produce are safe before entering them into the marketplace.
Manufacturers must also provide information on the product
label that is truthful and not misleading.
The DSHEA was enacted by Congress and based on findings linking
a possible connection with dietary supplement use, reduced
health care expenses and disease prevention, according to
information released by the Food and Drug Administration.
However, the report did not specify the exact benefits, with
Congress calling for "further scientific research."
Additionally, a pamphlet providing weight loss tips, published
by the FDA in 1998, said "diet pills you buy without
a prescription won't make a big difference in how much you
lose each week or how long you keep the weight off."
"The key fact is this: 95 percent of persons who lose
weight will regain it and exceed baseline within two years,"
Grivetti said. "The best program in the United States
right now has a success rate of only 35 percent [in] keeping
weight off after five years. This shows that the difficulty
is not losing weight but keeping it off, and this problem
is related to maintaining old habits and not increasing energy
expenditure."
But the DSHEA's focus is not on a product's success rate.
Congress' intent was "to meet the concerns of consumers
and manufacturers to help ensure that safe and appropriately
labeled products remain available to those who want to use
them," according to a report from the FDA.
By doing so, dietary ingredients used in dietary supplements
were exempted from the pre-market safety evaluation required
of other new foods. Manufacturers do not need to register
with the FDA or get its approval before producing or selling
a dietary supplement to the public.
Also under the DSHEA, the FDA is able to take action against
any unsafe supplement but only after it has reached the marketplace.
On March 25, the FDA issued an advisory regarding dietary
supplements containing the herbal ingredient Kava, promoted
as a method of relief from stress, tension, sleeplessness
and menopausal symptoms.
In more than 25 cases from other countries -- including Germany,
Switzerland, France, Canada and the United Kingdom -- Kava
has been linked to severe liver injuries, including hepatitis
and liver failure and includes four cases in which the subjects
required liver transplants.
Also, on March 19, Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group
founded by Ralph Nader, filed a petition with the FDA to recall
the diet drug Meridia, citing its association with the deaths
of 29 people.
Public Citizen obtained a report of all serious drug reactions
associated with Sibutramine, the active drug in Meridia, through
the Freedom of Information Act, according to the petition.
There, they discovered 397 reports of people reporting serious
reactions to the drug. Of these people, 152 were hospitalized
and 29 patients died -- 19 from cardiovascular causes such
as heart attacks.
Herbal supplements can also pose a danger despite their availability
in many supermarkets and health stores. The most popular and
controversial of these contain the ingredient Ephedra, or
similar ingredients that boost the user's metabolic rate to
burn extra calories, according to Kari Hecker, a registered
dietician and doctoral student at Pennsylvania State University.
While short-term studies indicate that Ephedra is effective,
the potential for side effects exists. These include rapid
heart rate, irritability, headaches, insomnia, nausea, chest
pain, strokes and cardiac arrest, according to Hecker, who
also pointed out that the FDA is currently investigating the
potential dangers of Ephedra-containing products.
"At this time, it would appear that these supplements
are likely safe for healthy individuals if only taken for
a short time -- up to 12 weeks," Hecker said. "But
persons with serious, in particular cardiovascular, health
problems should not use them."
Claims that promote effortless weight loss are false, according
to the FDA. In a report on weight loss, the FDA discounts
the myth of the "magic bullet," a pill that will
"burn, block, flush or otherwise eliminate fat from the
system."
Further, while some pills may control appetite, the side effects
can be severe, affecting the heart and central nervous system.
Of those over-the-counter programs claiming to "burn"
fat, the FDA has banned more than 100 ingredients, including
alcohol, caffeine, dextrose and guar gum after they were found
to be unsuccessful in weight loss and appetite suppression.
The FDA also warns against weight-loss devices that range
from a waste of money to those that pose a threat to health.
Electrical muscle stimulators are one such example. Though
considered effective for physical therapy, they were removed
from the market when promoted for weight loss and body toning.
When used incorrectly, the muscle stimulators can cause electrical
shock and burns.
Other examples include appetite-suppressing eyeglasses, which
claim to project an image onto the retina that represses hunger,
and magic weight-loss earrings, claiming to subvert hunger
by stimulating acupuncture points in the ears. Neither of
these has proven to be effective, according to the FDA.
"Typically, people want quick results -- if you note,
that is exactly what most gimmicks promise -- quick results
with no stress," said Barbara Schneeman, professor of
nutrition at the UC Davis. "It did not take one to two
weeks for most people to gain the weight that is excessive,
yet they are told through promotions that it is possible to
lose it in a short time frame. At one to two pounds per week,
you can calculate how long it might take to lose 20 pounds."
The FDA provides a list of words to be wary of when considering
a diet, citing the old adage, "if it sounds too good
to be true, it probably isn't true." The list includes:
"easy, effortless, guaranteed, miraculous, breakthrough,
secret, exclusive and ancient."
"It's easier not to gain weight than to lose it,"
said Alan Kristal, professor of epidemiology at the University
of Washington.
Kristal recommends balancing energy intake with expenditure
by keeping physically active and moderating intake by walking
or bicycling instead of driving, using the stairs instead
of an elevator and taking part in something more active than
watching television.
The easiest way to cut calories is to substitute lower fat
for high-fat foods, Kristal said. Examples would be a baked
potato instead of french fries, grilled fish instead of fried
and lower fat milk products instead of whole fat.
A person must run a calorie deficit to lose one pound, burning
3,500 more calories than they take in by reducing calorie
intake by 500 calories per day for seven days, according to
information available through the Student Health Services'
Web site at Cal State Long Beach.
In addition to exercise, the National Institute of Health
points to a balanced diet as one of the main contributors
to a healthy lifestyle. The majority of calorie intake should
come from grains and the least from fats, oils and sweets,
with more emphasis placed on vegetables and fruits than meat
and dairy.
Health Services at CSULB currently offers a program to evaluate
dietary habits and provide students with individual counseling.
From March 4 to May 17, senior and graduate level students
from the department of family and consumer science's dietetics
program will be available in the health center to address
dietary concerns and help participants develop a health regiment
that will suit both health needs and lifestyle.
"The secret is finding an approach you can safely use
for life," Townsend said. "That means finding habits
you can love. 'Follow for life' is the key."
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