The primary function of the Cleveland Clinic
three-day diet is rapid short-term weight loss. Most
variations of the diet imply that the diet can be used
indefinitely, following a three-days on and four-days
off pattern. Some online versions of this diet claim that
it is a detoxification and weight regulation diet. The
Cleveland Clinic three-day diet is also claimed to
reduce the dieter’s risk of heart disease by lowering
blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Benefits
There are no benefits to health from the Cleveland
Clinic diet other than a few pounds of temporary weight
loss. Some dieters like the simple menu and no requirements
for over-the-counter appetite suppressants.
Precautions
The so-called Cleveland Clinic three-day diet or
any of its three-day variations cannot be recommended
for anyone who needs to lose weight; in particular,
it poses risks to health for anyone with a
history of heart disease or an eating disorder. In addition
to avoiding fad diets such as this one, a general
precaution for anyone seeking to lose weight is to
consult a physician before trying any specific diet.
This precaution is particularly important for adolescents,
women who are pregnant or nursing, people
with kidney or liver disorders, people with eating disorders,
anyone who has had recent surgery, and anyone
who needs to lose more than 30 lb (13.5 kg).
Risks
The Cleveland Clinic three-day diet is touted on
some websites as a regimen that will lower blood cholesterol
levels and the risk of heart disease. On the
contrary, the diet requires foods that are high in fat,
saturated fat, and cholesterol; all of which have been
linked to heart disease.
The rigid rules associated with this diet as well as
its calorie restriction place individuals diagnosed with
eating disorders at risk of a relapse. A study at the
University of Minnesota reported in 2007 that adolescent
girls are at particularly high risk of developing or
retaining disordered eating patterns with frequent
exposure to magazine or online articles recommending
diets, including such fad diets as the Cleveland Clinic
diet.
Very restrictive diets such as the Cleveland Clinic
diet may have an effect on dieter’s morale. Some
nutritionists have expressed concern that when dieters
fail to lose weight on these diets, the dieters see themselves
as weak or lacking willpower rather than recognizing
that the diet is unsustainable.
Research and general acceptance
The Cleveland Clinic diet is rejected by mainstream
physicians and dietitians. The American
Heart Association (AHA) and the hospitals whose
names have been associated with the cabbage soup
diet have issued formal disclaimers warning the public
that they do not endorse this diet. The Oregon Health
and Science University stated in 2003 that the ‘‘hot dog
and ice cream diet . . . has been a thorn in our side for
years. . . . We will not publish the entire meal plan for
fear that someone might take it seriously.’’
TheUABHealth Systemnot only disowns the threeday
diet, but notes its specific nutritional inadequacies, including not providing adequate iron and calcium
needed for a healthy diet.
Other critics of the Cleveland Clinic diet note its
association with yo-yo dieting or weight cycling. Yoyo
dieting is a phrase coined in the early 1980s by Kelly
Brownell, an obesity specialist at Yale University, to
describe a repetitive pattern of weight loss and regaining
in which the dieter’s weight goes up and down like
a yo-yo. The weight cycle may be as small as 5–10 lb
(2–5 kg) or as large as 50 lb (22 kg). Weight cycling is
no longer thought to affect metabolism but it does
appear to increase a dieter’s risk of gallstones, high
cholesterol levels, and high blood pressure.
Therefore,
it is healthier to lose weight slowly through lifestyle
changes (including more exercise) and keep it off than
to use fad diets like the Cleveland Clinic diet as part of
a weight cycling pattern.
