Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: low carb zone diet

Question:
If you want to read what's already been written in the past, check Deja News (deja.com). It's an excellent resource. >Can anyone comment on the Zone Diet by Dr. Barry Sears? My doctor >recommended it to reduce body fat. I know many people who've made wonderful progress on it. That's all I'll say for now.

Answer:
I think that more doctors should think more seriously about referring more clients to Registered Dietitians (RD's). Medical training really gives quite short shrift to nutrition, and most doctors have very little background in the area. RD's on the other hand are extremely well trained in the area of nutritional support. Frankly, the Zone book is a bunch of science-fiction rubbish totally unbacked by any peer-reviewed research supporting its assertions, and while many doctors don't have the background to find the specific faults in its logic most RD's do. I've known a few doctors on the Zone over the years, but have yet to meet an RD who enthusiastically embraces the diet. The Zone, despite its pseudo-scientific trappings and pretense, is just one more fad diet whose ultimate effect is obtained through yet one more complex regimen that results in portion control and reduced caloric intake. Sure, people lose weight on the Zone - people lose weight on the Atkins diet, the high-carb diets, and the Cabbage Soup, Watermelon, and Ice Cream diets. Weight loss alone does not prove the validity of any theory surrounding a weight loss regimen. Moreover, in the several years since the inception of the Zone no one has yet demonstrated that regardless of its mechanism of action whether or not Zoners fare any better than any other dieters over the long haul. The statistics are grim - 90-95% of all people who achieve any sort of weight loss at all will regain that lost weight (and more) within 3-5 years. One can sell a lot of fad diet books in this time, before people realize that they've been had once again. There is a *lot* of high-quality research into nutrition, weight loss, and the nutritional composition of diets that is not Zone-specific, however. To date, the large body of existing work suggests the strongest influence on weight gained or lost is total caloric balance - calories in vs. calories out, regardless of the macronutrient ratio involved. A more Zone-like eating plan may or may not produce increased feelings of satiety and may or may not be easier for an individual to stick to. There's really not much evidence on this point. However, Sears' contention that the diet will Reset your genetic code or even improve fat metabolism is utter rubbish.