Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Fructose Diet - Is it Really the Shangri-La?

By Deen Dragonovich

The fructose diet, also known as the Shangri-la diet was invented by University of California at Berkeley professor Seth Roberts, Ph.D. He reportedly used the fructose diet on himself over a 12 year period and kept data of his progress.

Roberts uses the Set Point theory as the basis for his fructose diet. The Set Point theory basically says that each person has a control system within themselves that regulates how much fat they should carry. If the weight you carry is lower than your set point, you'll probably feel hungry. If the weight you carry is equal to your set point, you'll probably feel satisfied. If the weight you carry is higher than your set point, you'll probably feel full.

He states that "our set point is determined by the flavors that we eat." And after much experimentation, Roberts allegedly found a way to trick the set point. The solution he says is to drink unflavored sugar water between meals or unflavored flavorless oils between meals, more specifically granulated fructose and unflavored canola or extra light olive oil.

According to Roberts, for best results drink 2-5 tablespoons per day of this concoction 1 hour before your meals. Taking it 1 hour before your meals will give you that feeling of fullness. He claims that this formulation has allowed him to lose 40 lbs.

According to Roberts, these two compounds give you calories without flavor and your brain doesn't get the signals to raise your set point. Roberts also claims that his fructose diet stops you from thinking about junk food or react very strongly when you see your favorite foods. Food basically stops being attractive to you and ultimately you'll eat less. According to him, the fructose diet has helped him lose 40 lbs. and kept it off.

You'll find testimonial after testimonial in his book, The Shangri-La Diet. However, there are many doctors and nutritionists who are highly skeptical of this fructose diet. Many claim it to be outright dangerous. There is much scientific evidence which show fructose may in fact be a contributor to the obesity epidemic.

The controversy around the fructose diet centers around fructose itself. There have been numerous studies that show fructose may in fact be a leading cause of obesity in America. In fact, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that the increased use of fructose actually preceded the obesity epidemic.

Regardless of whether or not the fructose diet works, it is clear that fructose carries with it a lot of baggage and should be looked at with caution. - 15683

About the Author: