Review of popular diets finds many aren't very healthy

Two reports -- one from the public sector, one from the private -- find there is still no quick trick for patients who want to slim down.

By Kathleen F. Phalen, AMNews correspondent. Jan. 29, 2001.

Now that the last of the eggnog, holiday cookies and honey-glazed Brie are gone, it's time to get serious about losing weight. Or at least time to start thinking about ditching those burdensome extra pounds that have been hanging on for the past few years. Although success seems attainable in January, the New Year visions of thinness can quickly become illusions and then the four-cheese, everything-on-it pizza again takes over.

The desperate may ask their doctors for help, but it's more likely they'll try to go it alone, at least initially. Their search for the golden cure often begins with the latest fad, diet book or advertised plan.

Some hope the answer lies in the no-sugar, no-carbohydrate, all-meat regimens; others seek a pill, an herb or the latest cellulite cream. Although there are tales of success, there are many failures. And what about those who lose 50 pounds only to gain back 70?

With such conflicting information, patients need guidance. And, although it may seem a daunting task, doctors can help them get on the right track.

Both the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, the federal agency that developed the traditional "food pyramid" and is charged with the responsibility to be the nation's nutritional watchdog, and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, an organization that advances low-fat, low-cholesterol diets that move away from meat and dairy, offered separate sets of hints this month that may provide some nutritional guideposts.

Talking to the patient comes first, says Neal D. Barnard, MD, president of the PCRM, a nonprofit Washington, D.C.-based organization that promotes preventive medicine and nutrition. "Some patients may not ask for help and if they are significantly overweight, we have to address it." Dr. Barnard has been researching the effect of diet on health for many years. "To neglect it is indefensible." [...]