Fad Diets and Nutrient Intake
Poster Number
10
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Human Nutrition
Abstract
As of September 2015, obesity rates hit an all-time high in the United States, with more than a third of Americans considered obese. Excess body fat increases an individual’s risk of a slew of chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, and some cancers. As a result, obesity has become one of the greatest contributors to healthcare costs in the United States. As public awareness of the obesity epidemic has increased, so has the occurrence of fad diets, all claiming to be the new fix for obesity and the key to optimal health. These diets can be grouped into food-group-excluding diets, macronutrient-excluding diets, and overall energy-restricting diets. This study complies research on the most popular diets fitting into these categories and analyzes how closely they follow the dietary reference intakes (DRIs), potential consequences of following these diets, and the likelihood of success on these diets. Most of these diets can attribute any of their successes to overall caloric restriction rather than the specific restrictions of the diet. Several of the restrictions that are touted by various fad diets can actually be quite detrimental to health. The diets excluding macronutrients or food groups leave dieters at great risk for developing nutrient deficiencies. Nutrient deficiencies can lead to issues with growth and development, and impair normal functioning of the body’s systems. The diets that restricted overall intake while sticking closely to the DRIs had the most success, with dieters ultimately losing weight.
Honors Thesis Committee
Wanda Koszewski, Ph.D.; Clifton Harris, Ph.D.; and Simone Camel, Ph.D.
Start Date
21-4-2017 12:00 PM
Fad Diets and Nutrient Intake
Rutledge
As of September 2015, obesity rates hit an all-time high in the United States, with more than a third of Americans considered obese. Excess body fat increases an individual’s risk of a slew of chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, and some cancers. As a result, obesity has become one of the greatest contributors to healthcare costs in the United States. As public awareness of the obesity epidemic has increased, so has the occurrence of fad diets, all claiming to be the new fix for obesity and the key to optimal health. These diets can be grouped into food-group-excluding diets, macronutrient-excluding diets, and overall energy-restricting diets. This study complies research on the most popular diets fitting into these categories and analyzes how closely they follow the dietary reference intakes (DRIs), potential consequences of following these diets, and the likelihood of success on these diets. Most of these diets can attribute any of their successes to overall caloric restriction rather than the specific restrictions of the diet. Several of the restrictions that are touted by various fad diets can actually be quite detrimental to health. The diets excluding macronutrients or food groups leave dieters at great risk for developing nutrient deficiencies. Nutrient deficiencies can lead to issues with growth and development, and impair normal functioning of the body’s systems. The diets that restricted overall intake while sticking closely to the DRIs had the most success, with dieters ultimately losing weight.
