Many diets arouse general interest thanks to their enticing promises. Between testimonials "miracles" that invade our screens during commercial breaks and slimming reports that we find on the web, the confusion takes place quickly enough to make us shine results as attractive as dangerous. Nutritionist Hélène Tinevez reviews an article in Marie Claire and reviews the diets that are most harmful to our health.
Solitary worm, HCG, cinderella, cotton ball, cigarette ... to believe that the current slimming solutions are the Hydra of modern times. Multiplying at will, dozens disappear every day to make room for even more dangerous alternatives, nourishing the hopes of thousands of people obsessed with their desire to lose weight.
Slimming: the dictatorship of diets
Claimed by their creators and put forward by their followers, some dangerous diets advocate fallacious ideas to increase the community of their followers. A few years ago, Inserm was already sounding the alarm in a large-scale study of the cult of thinness. Michel Hercberg, director of the Institute's Nutrition Unit, told Parisian concerns about the results of the research. According to the expert, 60% of women not suffering from overweight or obesity would like to lose weight, a phenomenon that does not spare men either and would start in adolescence. Powered by the diktat of filiform silhouettes, it presents many health risks, including exposing the body to essential nutrient deficiencies and cardiovascular disorders.
- The brain triggers the "economy" mode: The brain conditions the body to spend less energy to perform the same tasks that are essential to it. Result: we eat less but we do not lose weight necessarily.
- The body undergoes a hormonal imbalance: Leptin, known as the hormone of satiety, is disturbed. Its rate decreases following a diet and therefore causes a feeling of continued hunger.
- The perceptual system and will change with regard to food: The body becomes a victim of its impulses and has more and more difficult to make the right decisions in the presence of caloric foods.
The psychological consequences are not left behind. The report also identified risks of low self-esteem and depression in the face of the repetitive failure of unsuccessful diets.
Given the impact of some diets on the health of the body and mind, it is essential to learn about and take stock of the most dangerous of them. This is the approach of Marie Claire magazine that uses the nutritionist Hélène Tinevez to lift the veil on slimming diets with devastating consequences:
Monomaniac diet
Focusing on the consumption of a single food, monomaniac diet come in many forms. Pineapple, apple or cabbage soup, they promise a considerable fat loss ... to the detriment of our health. Although they allow consumption at will of the recommended food, they cause especially a deep imbalance, a loss of the muscular mass and deficiencies dangerous for the organism. According to the nutritionist, the feeling of failure stemming from these programs that claim to be "easy" can seriously undermine self-image.
Water diet
The water diet advocates the consumption of liquids only. Extremely low in nutrients, it is essentially based on the consumption of water, broths or herbal teas intended to hydrate the body to promote the elimination of toxins. The only problem is that it causes a significant muscular loss that does not spare the heart muscle.
In addition, the body is obliged to tap into its reserves of protein to meet its energy needs and sees its renal function increase exponentially, it is essential to eliminate all nitrogenous waste associated with the decomposition of muscle proteins.
Low-carb diets, low calorie
Rich in protein and fat, low carb diets are popular for weight loss. Nevertheless, the absence of daily carbohydrates inevitably pushes them to integrate the family of restrictive diets. If satisfactory results can appear fairly quickly, the same can be said of the dangerous consequences they may entail. Helene Tinevez mentions, in particular, a rise in LDL cholesterol levels and a slower transit, concerns shared by nutritionist Marie Tandonnet which also emphasizes the risks of developing cardiovascular diseases and persistent headaches combined with a lack of energy and to fatigue.
