Dr Donald Grant has warned against a dangerous seven-day crash diet which is circulating online after a study found Brits were interested in unhealthy eating habits
A doctor has issued a warning about crash diets as a ‘seven day’ weightloss plan sweeps social media. Dr Donald Grant, a GP and senior clinical advisor at The Independent Pharmacy, warned that while crash diets may initially seem effective, they carry significant health risks.
Dr Grant explained: “In the digital age, social media is constantly feeding us advice on how we should amend diets and approaches to eating. Unfortunately, this can often give way to the rise of unsafe eating measures, such as crash diets, which can have both short-term and long-term health implications.”
One diet trend currently making waves online is a seven-day crash diet plan, reports Plymouth Live. Dr Grant detailed: “This diet consists of a set seven-day meal plan, where certain foods are limited, often leading to extreme calorie deficits and rapid weight loss.”
He continued: “This strict approach can lead to rapid weight loss through calorie deficits.” Yet Dr Grant added: “The absence of dairy products could limit calcium intake, leading to deficiencies.”
Dr Grant cautioned that while the diet may be ‘effective, it’s extremely limiting and potentially harmful for both short and long-term health’. He concluded: “While this diet is currently trending, it’s largely unsafe due to its heavily restrictive phases, which could lead to nutrient deficiencies, as it’s not well-balanced. The extremely low calorie intake may prove effective for shedding weight, but it’s not worth the health implications that come with it.
“Maintaining the crash diet over a prolonged period could increase the risk of muscle loss, fatigue and deficiencies, while being especially dangerous for diabetics or pregnant women. Instead, people should combine healthy, well-balanced diets with regular exercise to achieve safe and honest results. Our study into the most Googled diets revealed many Brits are interested in unhealthy eating approaches such as the carnivore diet and keto diet, which ranked first and second, respectively.”
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The health risks of crash diets
The doctor said: “In my opinion, crash diets are never worth the hassle. They are incredibly restrictive, often requiring people to adjust eating habits to create huge calorie deficits to instigate rapid weight loss. While this is often desired, it’s also incredibly unhealthy for our bodies. Here’s why.
Nutrient deficiencies
He said: “To operate correctly, our bodies require a well-balanced selection of key nutrients, often obtained through various food types. The presence of a crash diet can limit specific foods, making it hard to obtain vital nutrients and minerals such as fibre. This can lead to extreme fatigue and affect our immune systems.”
Dehydration
The doctor said: “Rapid weight loss can often lead to dehydration. This is because most of the initial weight shed is water and not actually body fat. It’s a tactic used by boxers and often criticised for its lack of safety. Dehydration can lead to many symptoms, including dizziness, fatigue and headaches, while increasing the risk of heat exhaustion.
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Impact on metabolism
The doctor said: “When we restrict calorie intake, our bodies react accordingly. Over time, the body can burn fewer calories, as the metabolism slows due to the change in eating habits. This can prove problematic as burning calories at a slower rate can make managing weight more challenging. Often, when people stop their crash diet, they regain most of the weight back anyway, so a healthier approach is advised.”