Diets are fattening, say psychiatrists

Press, 4 November 1986, Page 8

Diets are fattening, say psychiatrists

NZPA-AAP Sydney Dieting can make you fat, according to a team of Australian medical experts. In a report in the “Medical Journal of Australia,” the experts said diet fads do nothing to help obese people and in a lot of cases lead to weight gain over a period of years. The two Adelaide psychiatrists, Anne Sved Williams and Penny Roughan, said strict diets may in the long term trigger compulsive over eating. “Psychologically, once one decides to eat less, food immediately becomes something to be either shamefully enjoyed or martyrly

avoided, ensuring an obsession with food and almost Inevitably leading to more eating — not less,” they said. The two psychiatrists said fad diets, acupuncture, hypnosis, and appetite suppressant drugs have a limited effect. “They may be effective for a week or a month, but follow up studies — which are rarely done — show that years later the original weight has been regained, and often surpassed.” The psychiatrists said beauty rather than health drives people to dieting.

Statistics showed that almost all diet groups are run for women, and

yet there are as many men who are overweight. The experts said the Duchess of York, who as plain Sarah Ferguson had her ample figure criticised, was an important factor in changing the public’s attitude towards shape and size.

“Common sense would indicate that most things — alcohol, food, cigarettes and medication — in excess are harmful. The same could be said for dieting,” said the psychiatrists.

One of the first positive steps was to educate children how to eat properly and sensibly ... and most importantly to understand that people come in all different shapes and sizes.