DIET DECEPTION

Fad diets promise fast results, but at what cost? A doctor weighs in

- Elaine Obran

One thing we're not short of in this world are fad diets. From keto programs and juice cleanses, to extreme meat-only regimes, diet trends often burst onto the scene through social media and online buzz – only to fizzle out a few months later once the hype dies down.

It's something that Dr Terri-Lynne South, a GP with expertise in metabolic health and obesity management, knows all too well, having seen more fads than she can count circulating through her practice.

Here, Dr South unpacks the science – or lack thereof – behind some of diet culture's most popular and alarming trends, while guiding us through having safer weight loss conversations with our own GPs.

CLINICAL CONCERNS

Despite TikTok and other social media platforms often highlighting the fast results and positive outcomes of fad diets, the medical world views these trends very differently. And, as Dr South explains, there's good reason for that.

“They're definitely seen as problematic in the medical world for a number of reasons. Often, fad diets are suggestive of results that are not necessarily backed in research and science,” she says.