Acai Berry Diet

Acai has been up played in the media as a super food with many health benefits. There are many products in the market advertising it's weight loss capabiliities. Some products include Monavie, Acai Berry Blast, and Acai Pure...there are MANY!!! The acai diet industry claims that acai supplements will increase energy, weight loss, metabolism, and fat oxidation. Some claim that acai supplementation will promote more weight loss than dieting and exercise combined. Weight loss claims vary from product to product.

Studies show that acai has huge amounts of antioxidants. Two most talked about compounds in acai and other berries are anthocyanins and flavonoids. Acai shows to have more antioxidants than all other berries. There are tremendous health benefits to consuming acai however, none different from other similar fruits. Follow the following links to learn more about studies on acai berries.

Link 1
Link 2

I felt that almost every cite that had information on acai berries and their health benefits promoted some type of acai supplement. It was difficult to determine which supplements were most reliable due to the each cite promoting top products. Top products being promoted varied from cite to cite.

Weight Watcher

Weight Watchers is a program that promotes eating the right foods along with regular exercise. They promote a lifestyle change instead of restricting foods and "dieting." They promote their products and recipes.

For the most part, Weight Watchers had positive reviews. Follow the following links to learn more about Weight Watchers.

Weight Watchers Webcite

Reviews

More Reviews

Increasing Weight in the US

I found it interesting that in today's time we have more and more people dieting in the history of time however, the rates of obesity and being overweight are now the leading causes of health problems (such as diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, and stroke)... so I wonder what's going on here?

In 1996 11% of individuals ages 13-18 were obese, 5 years later that number doubled to 22%.

Some more recent statistics of:

Individuals who are either overweight or obese

• Ages 20 or over, 67%

Individuals who are obese

• Ages 20 or over, 34%

Individuals who are over weight

• Ages 20 or over, 18%
• Ages 6-11, 15%
• Ages 2-5, 11%

Statistics from the CDC

Does it even make sense that we now have more and more people dieting and making an effort to get in shape, however that's clearly not that case? It doesn't to me. Why is that? I don't have the answer to that. However, there is a clear relationship between the public's source of motivation to diet and get into shape and the advertisements that the diet industry so heavily promotes. One possibility to look into is the the decreasing quality of our food supply and increase in processed foods. However, that's an area that I won't get into.

www.dartmouth.edu
www.nlm.nih.gov

Who's on a Diet?

An estimated 80 million people are on diets every year, spending $30 billion on products and programs annually. That's $375.00 per person each year!!!

Participate in the following survey... get an idea of where you're at in the dieting population!

Pick the statement that most describe your feelings with regards to dieting.
	Is on a diet
	Thinking about it
	Was on one, but it didn't work out
	I should be on a diet, but I'm not
	I don't need to be on a diet
View Results

Turkey Holiday is Over

Thanksgiving is over and so ... the rush to dieting begins. But hold your horses, check out this website listing humorous details on popular FAD diets...though it appears relaxed and blunt, a lot of the information holds to be true.

http://www.faddiet.com/
and
http://www.dieting-review.com/

If this is what diet programs are promoting....then you know it's definitely a FAD.











Just some fun images I found on the web

Grape Fruit Diet

Also known as the Mayo Clinic diet (NOT associated with the Mayo Clinic in MN!!!) and the Hollywood diet, this diet is based on the concept of consuming LOTs of grapefruit or grapefruit juice in conjunction with a low carb, low calorie, high protein diet. Many believe that this diet is all about eating GRAPEFRUIT and forget about the other components of the diet. Grapefruit is an important part of the diet however, that's not what it's all about. There are certain foods that can and can't be eaten. Here's a cite that gives a common grapefruit diet meal (grapefruitdiet).


Some claim that grapefruit promotes the fat burning process due to the beta carotene found in the tough outer layers that is typically not eaten. Others claim that the fat burning process is promoted through pectin found in grapefruits.

There haven't been any scientific studies done that have proven these theories however, it is suspected that something in grapefruit may decrease insulin levels in the body, which in turns may increase the feeling of fullness and decrease calorie intake. The meals promoted on this diet plan is very similar to other diet plans such as Atkins.

Follow this link to learn more about the nutritional take on the grapefruit diet---click here----

Media and Advertising

This video was made in 2006 and so the statistics are slightly off.

Here are some more recent statistics:

• 1 in 5 women suffer from an eating disorder
• 90% of those who have an eating disorder are women between ages 12-25
• The most common behavior that will lead to an eating disorder is early dieting.
• The diet and diet related industry is a $50 billion/year enterprise
• According to a recent study, over 1/2 of the females between ages 18-25 would prefer to be run over by a truck than be fat, and 2/3 surveyed would rather be mean or stupid
• 51% of 9 and 10 year old girls feel better about themselves if they are on a diet
• Time Magazine reports that 80% of all children have been on a diet by the time that they have reached the 4th grade

• If today's mannequins were actual human women, based on theoretical body fat percentage, they would probably cease to menstruate.

Information found at http://www.eatingdisorderinfo.org/Resources/EatingDisordersStatistics/tabid/964/Default.aspx

Many of the BEAUTIFUL flawless pictures that the media put on display are often the results of photoshop...making it unrealistic and impossible to reach naturally. Follow the link below to get a preview. For my classmastes...this link is the video that was shown in class.

The Perfect Lie

CONTROVERSY

There was a lot of controversy with regards to how diets were promoted. Up for discussion was the ethics behind advertisements. For example, The Ethics of Weight Loss Commercials provides good discussion and points out an interesting perception.

The Slimming World Weight Loss Program

Advertised as a "Hunger Free Weight Loss Program," Slimming World focuses on careful dieting plans. Claiming to be leaders in the weight loss world they offer recipes and meal ideas to promote weight loss. The website boast about how easy it is to loose weight simply by eating according to their meal plans. On the site they offer a free 7 day trial menu for vegetairans and non-vegetarians. Diets can either follow their menus or make your own menu. The idea is that people can eat whatever, whenever, and however they want as long as it goes along with their food optimizing idea of foods. Typically, the diets consists of a Red and Green Day. Depending on he day it is, that will determine what kinds of foods are allowed. They advertise that moderate exercise may be helpful for weight loss but in no way needed. Along with the diet are informational meetings and helpful tips through magazines. It costs $10/week and $20/to enroll in the program. Other things such as menus or recepi books are extras.

Medical Reviews
There was little to no reviews from medical experts due to the fact that Slimming World is stationed in the UK. The only access for individuals in other countries is online.

What's on MY Mind???
It's difficult to believe any site that makes loosing weight to be easy, especially if they are making the claim that exercise is not needed. I am in the medical field of study, and so I almost feel that the advertised belief of a non-exercise weight loss program contradicts what is taught in health fields. In my prevous Nutrition classes, it was taught that the healthy way to loose weight and keep it off requires diet, lifestyle, and exercise changes.
The advertising techniques used in this dieting program focuses on the ease of loosing weight. Of course, the public is constantly looking for an easy way to loose weight. So the targeted consumers for this program is pretty much anyone that wants to loose weight.

The Alli Program

Marketed as the "Anti-Obesity Wonder Drug," the Alli program presents an over-the-counter diet pill approved by the FDA. The diet pill is a reduced strength version of the prescription drug Xenical aka Orlistat. The site highly encourages taking Alli along with traditional dieting and exercise.

How Allis is Used
Alli is only intended for use by persons 18 years or older. The recommended use is one tablet three times a day with a meal containing fat. The concept of this pill is to reduce fatty acids absorbed by the body by controlling enzymes in the intestine. These enzymes control the amount of fats absorbed by the body. Alli stresses the importance of not taking the pill in conjunction with non-fat diet.

Side Effects of Alli
Irregular bowel movements (poop) and flatulence (farting)
Unusual oily stool (poop)
Some deficiencies in fat based vitamins
Alli points out that this is usually found in persons using Alli with a high fat diet and that these side effects are harmless.

All information found at http://www.allipills.com/ & http://www.myalli.com/

Medical Experts Conclude:
Research from the Mayo Clinic suggest that Alli does lead to weight loss however, only a few more pounds than dieting and exercising alone. There is little study on the effectiveness of Alli. Most studies were conducted on the prescription drug Xenical. Xenical was found to promote on average 6 lbs more weight loss than dieting and exercising in a one year time frame. So, since Alli is half the prescription strength, it would be viable to say it would promote 3 lbs more weight loss than dieting and exercise alone. Medical experts perception of Alli is that it should be used along with dieting and exercise to promote weight loss.

All information found at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alli/WT00030/NSECTIONGROUP=2

The Analysis
A big marketing strategy that Alli uses (from viewing their website) is advertising the idea that it is the only OTC diet pill approved by the FDA. These comments can be found on numerous sections of the website. The claim is that with Alli, you can loose more than 50% of weight loss than dieting alone. They offer dieting plans to go along with taking the Alli pill.
One thing that I did not find on the site was sources of research. Because there are reviews stating that the results given on the Alli websites are correlate with the prescription strength Orlistat/Xenical, and not the Alli pill itself, this can cause the audience to be mislead. Advertiser also made comments about how HOT the item is and that the items are "flying off the shelves." I thought to myself, "another gimmick to get people to buy."
The focus on the FDA's approval of this OTC diet pill is the main advertising strategy. Because of all the media on the skepticism of the FDA's values, I feel that just because something is FDA approved doesn't make that a safe product. We've heard of people going against the FDA saying that pharmaceutical companies and other big corporate guys are the ones who makes the decisions of what gets approved and not. To my classmates, this is also something we've been discussing in class. Because Alli is endorsed by pharmaceutical companies (makers of Orlistat/Xenical), I don't know what to believe. However, it's nice to be aware of these skepticism.
Another point to make is that, I can't find any evidence based information from the site. There are statements that research has been done however, that research is not provided. The sites that are provided are typically sites that are supported by supporters of Alli as well. It makes me wonder wheter or not these sites are set up for the publics best interest or not. I personally feel that they're all out to make profits.

The Atkin's Diet

Of course I'd have to discuss the Atkin's Diet. This diet focuses on the high protein low carbohydrate intake. That means the diet primarily consists of meat, eggs, and cheese and limits the intake of carbs such as bread products, fruits, and vegetable. They claim that individuals can loose up to 15 lbs in the first 2 weeks. The concept behind the weight lost is that the body burns fat instead of carbs. They also encourage maintaining an active lifestyle.

Information found at http://www.atkins.com/

The Atkins View

-The concept is to change the body from a "carb-burning to a fat-burning machine"
-The emphasis of eating the foods that "the body was meant to consume"
-Teaches individuals the "right foods to keep the body burning fat"
-Belief that the diet "works with our bodies" and that it reduces health risks factors such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes
(http://www.atkins.com/)
FYI: They also promote the selling of their very own food products in order for it to be easier to follow the diet.

Health Professionals Prospective

-Found that people on the Atkins diet lost more weight and faster on a six month basis
-When compared to other diets (low-fat, low-calorie) the long term (1 year+) weight loss was not statistically significant.
-Research found no correlation between ketosis and weight loss
-Prolonged ketosis may deplete mineral stores in the bone, making them brittle and porous
-Concerns of the long term effects of low carb diets, especially on the heart
-Foods restricted on these diets (such as fruits, whole grains, vegetables) are known to to have minerals and vitamins to reduce the risks of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc.
-Foods promoted in the low-carb diets (such as meats, creams, butter) are found to increase risks of heart disease and some cancers.

The American Heart Association states:
" Individuals who follow these diets are therefore at risk for compromised vitamin and mineral intake, as well as potential cardiac, renal [kidney], bone, and liver abnormalities overall."

Infomation found at:
http://www.atkinsexposed.org/atkins/99/Mayo_Clinic.htm

What's on My mind??? The Analysis

In order to get a full understanding of this diet I'd have to define ketosis.
KETOSIS: an abnormal accumulation of ketones in the body as a result of excessive breakdown of fat caused by deficiency or inadequate use of carbohydrates. Fatty acids are metabolized instead, and the end product, ketones, begin to accumulate. This is often seen in starvation. Untreated ketosis may progress to ketoacidosis, coma, and death (Mosby's Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Professionions, 7th edition, p.1042).

Though the Atkins website never actually uses the term ketosis in describing the diet...ultimately putting the body in the state of ketosis is the atkins goal. Instead they describe ketosis as changing the body from a "carb-burning to a fat-burning machine." The Atkins belief is that the diet is completely healthy. The site continually uses this focus as an advertisment technique, though health professionals state otherwise. I was able to find a site that disproved health professionals (discribed above) however, after a closer look, many of the supporters and references were low-carb diet programs (including the Atkins program) and medical professionals who also supported low-carb diets. These sites also lacked in credentials. Also, found in small print at the bottom of the page were warnings to not assume that the info provided were in any way medically or scientifically proven.

Found on multiple sections of the Atkins site is the idea that burning fat as opposed to carbs is a healthy option for the body. They fail to explain that carbohydrates are the bodies primary source of energy, especially the brain. the brain actually uses up 2 times more energy than other cells in the body! Fat can be a source of short term energy use...say, when the body is experiencing stress, like starvation. Studies actually show that when the brain is deprived of its primary source of energy (Glucose-which is from the breakdown of carbs), there is a significant deterioration in attention abilites in the brain. So it does make me wonder, what else is it really effecting???

Information found at:
http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/carbs.html
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/nutrition/sport/carbohydrate.html