Dieting is not all win-win. You may be lighter and happier, but you may also end up unhealthier.
Two years ago a diet pill called Alli hit the US market. It was not a prescription drug, so it started flying off the shelves. Its manufacturer, pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline, had designed Alli to help keep people to a low-fat diet.
Not only did the drug prevent 25 per cent of fat from being absorbed in the intestine, if users strayed from their strict low-fat diet it punished them by causing sudden leaky bowels — a side-effect that soon came to be known as an “Alli oops”. Many dieters were happy to be compelled to watch their fat intake — even at the cost of soiled clothes and diapers.
There may be as many ways of dieting as there are dieters. Hundreds of different regimens, with pills or without, are followed and evangelised around the world. “Everyone, whether it’s a neighbour, friend, cousin, classmate, has an opinion on weight loss,” says dietician Sheela Krishnaswamy. “They feel that what works for one works universally.” Bangalore-based Krishnaswamy is on the board of the International Confederation of Dietetic Associations and is also director, wellness, at ChiHealth, an online dietetics consultancy that works mainly with corporate clients.
Mainly word of mouth helped spread Alli in the West. Its side effects are unpleasant but not major — which is not true of other drugs available in a largely unregulated market. “Fortunately the use of diet pillls in India is not as rampant as it is in the West,” says Krishnaswamy. “Not many people take them, and those who do try for short periods of time.”
Other diet pills or appetite suppressants, especially those containing amphetamines, have side effects including chest pains, palpitations, headaches and insomnia, according to a study by Harvard University published this year. Often users fail to link these issues to the pills they are taking. Some such drugs can be addictive, and most are banned by the US Food and Drug Administration. As an additional worry, amphetamines show up in urine and thus may be a hazard for employees who must undergo employer-mandated drugs tests.
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“There are other drastic ways people are trying to lose weight,” Krishnaswamy adds. “Crash diets tend to follow some unscientific and unresearched method. Most of them are fad diets from the Net and books.” One common side effect is, unsurprisingly, malnutrition, where a lack of nutrients and a drastic drop in quantity leads, among other things, to deficiencies of vital minerals like iron, zinc and calcium. This can lead to hair loss, dry, sagging skin, brittle nails, constipation and weakened bones.
Taken to an extreme, such dieting may lead to organ malfunction.
In women, it can lead to an irregular menstrual cycle and, if a habit of dieting precedes pregnancy, to inappropriate weight gain during pregnancy — normal and overweight women will gain too much weight and underweight women will not gain enough, both of which are not good for the baby.
One of the commonest ways to diet is to limit carbohydrate intake — from breads, pastas, potatoes, cereals and so on. Carbs are the readiest source of glucose, the basic energy source for the body. In overabundance, carbs are stored as fat. Therefore, most dieters reduce carbs, typically compensating by eating more protein. Getting protein on a low-carb diet can be a challenge for vegetarians. India’s most famous dieter is probably actor Kareena Kapoor, who, if TV is to be believed, gets her protein in lots of small doses by means of nuts, milk, cheese and dal.
A low-carb diet can reduce fat stored around internal organs like the liver, but it also impacts the brain, an energy-hungry organ. Recent research shows that eliminating carbs from the diet damages memory.
“Too much protein burdens the kidneys, through which waste products of protein are eliminated,” says Krishnaswamy. “In the long term, it places a burden on the cardiovascular system. A lot of protein and fat raise the chance of increase in cholesterol and triglycerides” in the blood. Restaurateur and food consultant Marut Sikkahas lost a lot of weight recently, but a previous attempt had to be abandoned because of potential side-effects.
Many diets, though undertaken not out of vanity but for medical reasons, can cause dangerous imbalances. Diabetes patients are told to monitor their blood sugar level constantly, but sometimes are not reminded to watch their cholesterol and blood pressure as well — an oversight which can be fatal.
Finding the right diet for your body and needs is a difficult task, sometimes even with professional help. It’s important to remember to do it right, so that a small good doesn’t turn into a big bad.