Eliminating or limiting those foods results in fewer
calories consumed. Cutting back on calories produces
a weight loss. Additionally, eating moreprotein, foods
that are high in fat, creates the sensation of feeling full.
Benefits
The primary benefit of the Mayo Clinic fad diet is
that a person quickly loses weight. For some people, a
diet of several weeks is easier to follow than one that
could last months or one described as a lifetime of
healthy eating. On the fad plan, dieters do not have
to count calories or track the fat andfiberof content
of foods. People follow a plan consisting of several
basic foods. The diet is more affordable than some
weight-loss plans that require the purchase of meals.
Furthermore, dieters could feel that they aren’t
depriving themselves because they’re allowed to eat
as much as they want of meat and other high-fat
proteins. People fond of fried foods will be happy
that they don’t have to give up those items.
The plan consists of a limited selection of food so
it will be easy for dieters to shop and to know what to
eat. While the repetitive nature of the diet may become
monotonous, that sameness may help curb dieters’
appetites. The monotony for some dieters is endured
by the knowledge that the diet is short-term.
Precautions
People taking certain medications should not pre-
scribe to the Mayo Clinic fad diet because grapefruit
and grapefruit juice could interact with those medica-
tions. Moreover, the general public should avoid the
popular diet because it is not nutritionally balanced.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the fad diet could be
dangerous because some versions restrict calorie con-
sumption to 800 per day.
Organizations including the clinic and the Amer-
ican Heart Association maintain that 1,200 calories
per day is the minimum amount that should be con-
sumed unless a dieter is following a medically super-
vised weight-loss plan.
Some versions of the diet are low calorie; others
permit the dieter to eat unlimited amount of proteins.
The fad diet severely restricts other food groups. Diet-
ers miss out on the nutrients and fiber in fruits and
vegetables, and thecalciumfound in dairy products.
At the same time, they eat foods that often contain
more calories, fat, andsodium.
The appeal of the Mayo Clinic fad diet is that it is
a short-term plan. However, people often gain back
more weight after they stop dieting.
RisksRisks associated with the fad diet range from the
medication-grapefruit interaction to the potential for
complications related to ahigh-fat diet. The Mayo
Clinic in 2006 cautioned that cmicals in grapefruit
and grapefruit juice interfere with the body’s process
of breaking down drugs in the digestive system.. The
interference could produce excessively high levels of
the drug in the blood. The interaction could occur with
some medications to treat high blood pressure, HIV,
high cholesterol, arrhythmia (abnormal heart
rhythm), and erectile dysfunction. There is also a
potential for interaction with some anti-depressants,
anti-seizure medications, tranquilizers, immunosup-
pressant drugs and the pain relief drug Methadone.
The issue of this interaction was subject to some
debate, with the Florida Department of Citrus in 2003
advising the public that the use of alternate medica-
tions would allow people to continue drinking grape-
fruit juice. In a related matter, the University of Florida
served a key role in the establishment in 2003 of the
Center for Food-Drug Interaction Research and Edu-
cation. The center focuses on interactions with grape-
fruit. It is accessible to the public through a website.
People with concerns about grapefruit should ask
their physician or pharmacist about possible drug
interactions or alternative medications.
Furthermore, the combination of ahigh-protein
dietwith unlimited fat and the restriction on carbohy-
drates puts dieters at risk for conditions such as high
blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, and diabetes.
According to the American Heart Association, the
risk is caused by increased cholesterol levels. This rise
in cholesterol is brought on by the increase in fat and
the decrease in fiber from fruits, vegetables, and
whole-grain products. These foods are complex carbo-
hydrates, and eliminating them causes the body to burn
stored fat. While this process causes a weight loss, it
triggers a reaction called the ‘‘starvation mode.’’
When the person ends the diet and again eats
carbohydrates, the body responds by converting food
into fat. This protection against starvation results in a
weight gain.Research and general acceptanceGrapefruit is a source ofvitamin Cand fiber, but
the citrus fruit does not have the capacity to burn
calories. That’s one of the misconceptions about the
fad diet that the Mayo Clinic called a ‘‘hoax’’ because
it limits the variety of food and promises a dramatic
weight loss. Research by the clinic and organizationsMayo Clinic diet (fad diet)