From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Food faddism and fad diet usually refer to idiosyncratic diets and eating patterns. They are diets that claim to promote weight loss or treat obesity by mechanisms other than calorie restriction.^[1]

The term "food fad" may also be used with a positive connotation, namely, to describe the short term popularity among restaurants and consumers of an ingredient, dish, or preparation technique.^[2]

Scientific view

Fad diets are diets that claim weight loss by mechanisms other than calorie restriction.^[1]

Many forms of food faddism and fad diets are supported by pseudo-scientific claims. Fad diets claim to be scientific but do not follow the scientific method in establishing their validity. Among the scientific shortcomings of the claims made in support of fad diets:

• not being open to revisions, whereas real science is^[3].
• observations that prompt explanations are used as evidence of the validity of the explanation^[3].

Some in the scientific community comment that food faddism is born of ignorance about basic scientific dietary facts. The evidence supporting weight loss enhanced by anything other than caloric restriction is lacking^[4]. There is also a lack of evidence to support that fad diets produce sustainable weight loss. Fad diets generally ignore or refute what is known about fundamental associations between dietary pattern and human health^[4].

Fad diets

Belief in fad diets by adherents is often irrational. Many individuals who adhere to fad diets will not consider recommendations made by nutritionists and dieticians^[5].

There are three categories of food fads. Some food fads incorporate a combination of categories:^[5]

1. The virtue of a particular food or food group is exaggerated and purported to cure specific diseases, and is therefore incorporated as a primary constituent of an individual’s diet.
2. Foods are eliminated from an individual’s diet because they are viewed as harmful.
3. An emphasis is placed on eating certain foods to express a particular lifestyle.

Extreme faddist diets often lack the energy, suitable protein, fat-soluble vitamins, and some minerals that are essential for growing children. Parents forcing children to adhere to fad diets to the point of severe nutritional disorders is considered a form of child abuse.^[6]

The Hollywood Tapeworm Diet

There is a legend around at least since the 1920s that involved the supposed consumption of tapeworms in an effort to lose weight.^[7] This however is most likely little more than rumors.^[8]

Others

Programs often considered fad diets:

• Atkins diet ^[1]
• Breatharian
• Cabbage soup diet
• Grapefruit diet
• Fruitarianism^[9]
• Israeli Army diet
• Low-fat diet^{[citation needed]}
• Macrobiotic diet
• Master Cleanse
• Nutrisystem
• Paleolithic diet ^[10]
• South Beach Diet
• Gerson therapy

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Katz DL (2003). "Pandemic obesity and the contagion of nutritional nonsense". Public Health Rev 31 (1): 33–44. PMID 14656042. 
2. ^ http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/illegal-milk-the-new-us-food-fad-20090407-9xee.html
3. ^ ^{a b} Carey, S (2004). A beginner's guide to the scientific method. Third Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
4. ^ ^{a b} Katz, D.L., (2003). Pandemic obesity and the contagion of nutritional nonsense. Public Health Reviews: 31(1):33-44.
5. ^ ^{a b} McBean, Lois D. M.S., R.D. and Elwood W. Speckmann Ph.D. (1974). Food faddism: a challenge to nutritionists and dietitians. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 27, 1071-1078.
6. ^ Roberts, I.F., West, R.J., Ogilvie, D, and M J Dillon. (1979). Malnutrition in infants receiving cult diets: a form of child abuse. British Medical Journal: 1(6159): 296–298.
7. ^ "deposit.ddb.de" (pdf). p. 16. http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?idn=972066632&dok_var=d1&dok_ext=pdf&filename=972066632.pdf. 
8. ^ "snopes.com: Tapeworm Diet Pills". http://www.snopes.com/horrors/vanities/tapeworm.asp. 
9. ^ Forbes, Gilbert B., American Academy of Pediatrics, 1980. "[Food Fads: Safe Feeding of Children http://pedsinreview.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/1/7/207]" Pediatrics in Review. 1980;1:207-210. doi:10.1542/10.1542/pir.1-7-207.
10. ^ "Caveman Fad Diet". http://www.faddiet.com/cavemanfaddiet.html.