South Beach Diet: Based on Science?

Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter exposed the inaccuracies of the science behind the South Beach Diet.

Another spin-off of the low-carb craze, the South Beach Diet includes avoiding most high-carb foods for the first two weeks. With this comes a promise to lose 8 to13 pounds in that first two weeks. Unfortunately, the weight loss does not come from loss of fat. Rather, it comes from loss of water within the liver and muscle tissue because the carbohydrates that are stored have been depleted.

The South Beach Diet is based on the theory that when you eat foods high in carbohydrates, your body responds by releasing high levels of insulin to keep your blood sugar levels from skyrocketing. When this happens, your body overshoots with the insulin response resulting in too low a blood sugar level. Unfortunately, the science has shown that unless you are a diabetic, “blood sugar remains in a remarkably stable range.”

The additional claim is that the diminished blood sugar will lead to hunger (your body is trying to tell you to eat somethingto re-establish a healthy blood sugar level). The fact is, there is no research that has been able to link low blood sugar to hunger.

Plus, there are contradictions and general nutritional inaccuracies within the book. For example:

In the second phase of the diet, one of the foods to avoid is bananas.
A dessert suggested for the second phase, however, is sliced bananas dipped in sugar-free chocolate sauce.
Examples of general nutritional inaccuracies.

Pulp in juice is a source of fiber.  Not true.
Whole-wheat bread is not whole grain. Not true.
Watermelon contains lots of sugar but cantaloupe does not. Not true. A cup of either fruit contains 14 grams of sugar.

The bottom line. The South Beach Diet limits calories (greatly due to limiting carbohydrates since every gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories) and limits foods high in simple sugars.

The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss is just “another version of a fad wrapped within a gimmick."

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