Research and general acceptanceThe Scarsdale diet has not been the subject of exten-
sive medical research, possibly because of its association
with a notorious legal case. There is only one article in the
medical literature that reported on the diet’s usefulness as
a means to rapid initial weight reduction for people who
were then placed on less restrictive weight-loss regimens.
The article, however, was published in 1982 and its find-
ings would require reevaluation a quarter-century later.
Dr. Tarnower himself never tested the diet in a clinical
trial or published any outcome studies of his patients.
Although the cover of the 1978 edition ofThe Complete
Scarsdale Medical Dietpromises a weight loss of ‘‘up to
20 pounds in 14 days’’ the only evidence provided to
support this claim is anecdotal quotations from some of
the doctor’s patients.
Although the Scarsdale diet was popular when it
was first published in book form, it is considered a fad
diet as of the early 2000s, and listed as such by the
American Dietetic Association (ADA). Although the
publication onfad dietspublished by the American
Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) does not men-
tion the Scarsdale diet by name, it would clearly come
under the heading of controlled carbohydrates diets,
which the AAFP does not recommend. Much of the
early popularity of the Scarsdale diet may have been due
to snob appeal. Dr. Tarnower was disliked as a person
bymanyofhispatientsaswellasbyotherswhoknew
him for his pretentiousness and open social climbing.
The association of the diet with the town of Scarsdale,
whichwasasymbolofprosperitytopeopleintheNew
York area, may well have encouraged some readers to
think of weight loss as a path to economic or social
success. Dr. Tarnower was obsessed with his own trim
figure as evidence of his professional stature, reportedly
dieting whenever his weight went even slightly over 174
pounds. One measure of the Scarsdale diet’s loss of
popularity is that the upscale fashion magazines that
touted it in the late 1970s described it less than a decade
later as one of the ‘‘diets that don’t work.’’
In general, researchers in the United States and Can-
ada maintain that VLCDs are not superior in any way to
conventional low-calorie diets (LCDs). The first report
of the National Task Force onthe Prevention and Treat-
ment of Obesity on these diets, which was published in
theJournal of the American Medical Associationin 1993,
noted that ‘‘:Current VLCDs are generally safe when
used under proper medical supervision in moderately
and severely obese patients (body mass index>30) and
are usually effective in promoting significant short-term
weight loss.... [but] long-term maintenance of weight
loss with VLCDs is not very satisfactory and is no better
than with other forms of obesity treatment.’’
One Canadian study reported in 2005 that a history
ofweight cyclingtended to lower the health benefits
that obese patients could receive from VLCDs, while a
2006 study carried out at the University of Pennsylva-
nia in Philadelphia found that the use of liquid meal
replacement diets (LMRs) with a daily calorie level of
1000–1500 calories ‘‘provide[d] an effective and less
expensive alternative to VLCDs.’’ The only study that
reported that VLCDs are ‘‘one of the better treatment
modalities related to long-term weight-maintenance
success’’ was completed in the Netherlands in 2001.
The Dutch researchers added, however, that an active
follow-up program, including behavior modification
therapy and exercise, is essential to the long-term suc-
cess that they reported.Resources
BOOKS
Bowden, Jonny.Living the Low Carb Life: From Atkins to the
Zone: Choosing the Diet That’s Right for You. New York:
Barnes & Noble Publishing, 2004. Compares the Scars-
dale diet to some other well-known low-carbohydrate
regimens.
Tarnower, Herman, MD, and Samm Sinclair Baker.The
Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet Plus Dr. Tarnower’s
Lifetime Keep-Slim Program. New York: Rawson,
Wade Publishers, 1978.
Trilling, Diana.Mrs. Harris: The Death of the Scarsdale Diet
Doctor. New York: Penguin Books, 1982. Contains
some background information on the Scarsdale diet as
well as an account of Dr. Tarnower’s death and the
subsequent murder trial.PERIODICALS‘‘Death of the Diet Doctor.’’Time, March 24, 1980.
Fortino, Denise. ‘‘Famous Diets That Don’t Work.’’
Harper’s Bazaar120 (October 1987): 94–96.QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR
DOCTOR Considering that the Scarsdale diet does not
reflect recent advances in the science of
nutrition, would you recommend this diet?
Have any of your patients ever tried the
Scarsdale Diet?
If so, were they able to keep off any weight they
lost?
If so, did they develop any health problems
while following it?Scarsdale diet