Those on such diets may experience weight loss to begin with, this is not sustainable, Dr Shaobo Zhou, a senior lecturer in nutritional science at the University of Bedfordshire’s School of Life Sciences.
Eventually the metabolism can slow down to a point where the body may not be able to burn enough calories to maintain its body weight, he adds.
Dr Zhou also advises caution when it comes to following celebrity-endorsed diets. “Celebrities are not nutrition experts and celebrity-endorsed diet case studies hold no scientific merit. They target susceptible people looking for a quick fix in an unethical manner,” he says.
Fad diets, such as the Atkins, Dukan and Ketogenic iterations, restrict people’s calorie intake to one or two food groups in order to promote quick weight loss. Initially the body tries to adapt to the ‘deficient’ energy and nutrients by slowing down the metabolism, as well as reducing excretion.
