Getting the Skinny on Fad Diets
Are you considering a new diet as part of your New Year’s resolutions? Our third-year College of Pharmacy students can offer you well-researched advice. They’ll give informational presentations on popular fad diets, including comparisons with medically approved diets, from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Dec. 12, in Rooms 2011-2020 of the NEW Center. The presentations are open to the public as well as to NEOMED faculty, staff and students. All are welcome to stop by any time during the three-hour period.
To prepare for the presentations, pharmacy students have worked with faculty members of the College of Pharmacy, including Fady Abdlrasul, Pharm. D. (’14), assistant professor of pharmacy practice. We sat down with Dr. Abdlrasul to learn more about fad diets.
Why do fad diets appeal to us?
Fad diets have become very popular in the U.S. over the last few decades. The incidence of obesity has soared since the 1960s due to a number of factors: more desk jobs, larger portions of fast food, more sedentary lifestyles, etc. Fad diets are appealing to many due to the fact that some of them can truly offer extreme weight loss in a short period of time.
What is a common misconception about fad diets?
Fad diets are oftentimes viewed as completely safe and harmless. The truth is most fad diets eliminate entire food groups or limit the amount of certain nutrients. This can be extremely harmful. Our major macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) all play vital roles in our overall health and are essential to our diets.
What are some of the strangest fad diets you have encountered?
One of the more extreme cases I have encountered is called “the cotton ball” diet in which people actually swallow cotton balls. The cotton balls give the person a feeling of fullness causing them not to eat as much. Obviously, cotton balls do not provide any nutrients and can cause major gastrointestinal problems. Another extreme diet that I have encountered is a diet in which people actually inject insulin before a work out. The insulin decreases the amount of sugar or carbohydrates in the blood. If there are no carbohydrates to use for energy, your body uses stored up fat instead. This diet is extremely dangerous and can cause life-threatening low blood sugars which could lead to death.
How do the students prepare for these presentations throughout the semester?
Students work in groups on these presentations throughout the semester. They are assigned a faculty advisor who has plenty of experience in this topic. Faculty advisors assist the students in preparing these presentations throughout the semester.
To prepare for the presentations, pharmacy students have worked with faculty members of the College of Pharmacy, including Fady Abdlrasul, Pharm. D. (’14), assistant professor of pharmacy practice. We sat down with Dr. Abdlrasul to learn more about fad diets.
Why do fad diets appeal to us?
Fad diets have become very popular in the U.S. over the last few decades. The incidence of obesity has soared since the 1960s due to a number of factors: more desk jobs, larger portions of fast food, more sedentary lifestyles, etc. Fad diets are appealing to many due to the fact that some of them can truly offer extreme weight loss in a short period of time.
What is a common misconception about fad diets?
Fad diets are oftentimes viewed as completely safe and harmless. The truth is most fad diets eliminate entire food groups or limit the amount of certain nutrients. This can be extremely harmful. Our major macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) all play vital roles in our overall health and are essential to our diets.
What are some of the strangest fad diets you have encountered?
One of the more extreme cases I have encountered is called “the cotton ball” diet in which people actually swallow cotton balls. The cotton balls give the person a feeling of fullness causing them not to eat as much. Obviously, cotton balls do not provide any nutrients and can cause major gastrointestinal problems. Another extreme diet that I have encountered is a diet in which people actually inject insulin before a work out. The insulin decreases the amount of sugar or carbohydrates in the blood. If there are no carbohydrates to use for energy, your body uses stored up fat instead. This diet is extremely dangerous and can cause life-threatening low blood sugars which could lead to death.
How do the students prepare for these presentations throughout the semester?
Students work in groups on these presentations throughout the semester. They are assigned a faculty advisor who has plenty of experience in this topic. Faculty advisors assist the students in preparing these presentations throughout the semester.