A Few Words of Caution

Several diets have been popularized to deal with the epidemic of obesity.  Some of these diets advocate very low fat and high protein.   Other diets advocate high fat and very low carbohydrate.    There are many other very radical diets, limited only by the imagination, it seems.  And, in fact, most of these diets work quite well in the short term.  However, they differ in the degree and manner in which they may cause physical harm.   

For example, a diet very high in fat may cause excess cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood.  This may, over time, predispose an individual to heart disease.   Furthermore, the high fat diet (which is usually also very high in protein) results in the production of ketones, metabolic breakdown products of fat, and the production of ammonia, a metabolic breakdown product of protein.   Both of these substances can be physically harmful, in the extreme leading to alterations in mental state, and rarely, a comatose state, especially if one has other medical problems

Final Thoughts

We can quit tobacco completely.  The same goes for alcohol.  Food, however, is a much more complicated problem, since abstinence is obviously not compatible with life.  Unfortunately, it is often easier to do something in the extreme rather than in moderation.   Perhaps this is the attraction of the many "radical" diets available.  Yet the only reasonable approach to weight loss involves lifestyle change, both in moderating  food intake and increasing exercise.   This approach can be continued for life, unlike the more radical approaches which may lead to temporary success and then a rollercoaster ride back to obesity.