CELEB DIETS: UNHEALTHY, UNSCIENTIFIC AND UNTESTED

The weekly parade of celebrity diets recently hit a crescendo when a former teen idol revealed the secrets of dieting in a new book on prime time tv. His program included an amorphous set of ideas about carbs, portion control and calorie intake. He could not comprehend that carbs are main reason the Western Diet has killed more people than all the wars combined. His take on diets was one of a flood of regimens in the last sixty days. One rogue celebrity physician, who has questionable training in the fields of diet and nutrition, announced three distinct programs in this period of time. Lose 7pounds in ten days, lose 18 pounds in three weeks and lose whatever you want whenever you want. This physician claims to have discovered enzymes, radicals and antiobesity elements that can be manipulated to enable rapid weight loss. These claims make great headlines yet reality dictates they lack veracity. It would be hard to ignore these headlines they can be seen at any grocery checkout. Nutritionally solid diets that effectuate weight loss should not be conjured up, their origins should evolve through basic science, testing and proper review. Too many obese patients have been mislead by these economically motivated but poorly derived programs. More alarming, some of these programs put their users at risk for diabetes, heart disease and even death. Within the scope of appropriate dieting many excellant programs have been developed to help achieve expeditious weight loss. 2011 science defines the high protein restricted calorie models as the most advance that can be presently applied to diet regimens. Celebrity diet books with their inappropriate regimens utilize anecdotal tales to substantiate their plans. The sad facts are that millions believe in these icons of the media, who are fattening their wallets without thinning the very people they are written to help.