http://techcentralstation.com/1051/techwrapper.jsp?PID=1051- 
250&CID=1051-072403C

Very interesting article on the health effects of dieting. A lot of  
info on the mental aspects of unusual diets (like paleo, but they use  
vegetarianism for most examples) and some possible dangers. Some thing  
we should consider.



"The actual risks associated with dieting are rarely mentioned.

In 1992, the NIH held a conference on Methods for Voluntary Weight Loss  
and Control in which the country's top experts reviewed the body of  
scientific evidence on weight and dieting. Their consensus statement  
was stark and startling: Most studies, and the strongest science, shows  
weight loss, although seemingly to reduce risk factors, is actually  
strongly associated with increased  risks of death -- by as much as  
several hundred percent.

These risks weren't a result of excessive weight loss or extreme diets,  
but as little as 10 pounds and even moderate calorie restrictions.  
Moreover, the NIH determined that studies that appeared to show  
opposite results, such as a famous Metropolitan Life Insurance study,  
were seriously flawed."

 



"A destructive relationship with food -- seen in growing numbers -- is  
an obsession for eating "correctly" and fearing "bad" foods. Dr. Steven  
Bratman, medical director for Prima Health, chronicled this disturbing  
condition in his book, Orthorexia Nervosa: Overcoming the Obsession  
with Healthful Eating (Broadway Books, 2000). He found people adopt  
progressively rigid and unhealthy diets that eliminate food groups,  
until it ultimately costs them their health, personal relationships and  
emotional well-being. Like traditional eating disorders, it begins with  
a diet."