The Success of the Dukan diet and Does It Really Work?

You’ve probably already heard about the “miracle” Dukan diet, which many people in Hollywood have followed.

It’s the preferred diet for people who want to lose weight without a lot of effort. After all, it doesn’t require any exercise and you can eat almost anything you want.

Those who have studied this diet argue that it does not work for 80% of the people who try it, particularly those who are obese.

Find out more in today’s article.

The alleged success of the Dukan diet

French Doctor Dukan has published several books on his miraculous diet, and they’ve all been a success. In Spain, his three publications are “bestsellers” with over half a million sales.

The commotion surrounding this diet did not go unnoticed. A study was carried out by the Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition in Spain (AESAN), found that the method of Dr. Dukan was illegal, “fraudulent, and it is not helpful for people to lose weight, but it is a risk for individuals that have practiced it.”

Many people have followed this diet due to the actress Penelope Cruz who has lost weight very quickly after the birth of her baby. Moreover, they see Kate Middleton, the future English (Dr. Dukan might sent her his book, feeling satisfied for trusting in his method- it has been said).

Does the Dukan diet work for obese people?

According to some this diet is the perfect for people that suffer from obesity, but some say that it’s only beneficial if someone wants to lose just a couple of pounds. Even though the method is promising effects that last (for life) some researchers have been challenging this technique that is thought to be miraculous.

Dr. Dukan has opposed strongly one study made by a group that reveals why this diet is nor effective.

5,000 individuals that were on the diet were surveyed.

While the majority of them indicated that the method was effective in the beginning, they later reported:

35% regained the weight they lost within a year.
48% returned to their initial weight after one year.
64% were heavier than they were at the start of the diet, after two years of treatment.
70% exceeded their starting weight after three years.
80% of respondents weighed more after four years than when they started.

One of the maxims of this method is “if you don’t get the results you expected, it’s because of your lack of commitment.” That is, it’s the patient’s fault – not the method.

Just look at some of the responses of the survey. 60% of people said that they didn’t lose weight because they ate too much, they didn’t work hard enough in the early stages of the diet, or they ate something that they shouldn’t.

These feelings of guilt are psychological consequences that are associated with the Dukan diet, but they’re not the only ones.

Furthermore, Dukan dieters also have suffered from some symptoms of low self-esteem and depression because when they see themselves in the mirror one day, they have an ideal figure. But, after few weeks, everything is back as it was…or maybe worse.

It has to be mentioned that Pierre Dukan said that individuals who have a few pounds more are “sick,” and not to be mentioned the obese.

The Organization of World Health made a similar statement in 1997. It described the obesity as a disease that is chronic. Unfortunately, Dr. Dukan has been treating anyone who is not equally slender, on the basis that the individual has a problem.

It is estimated that individuals who are overweight or obese are able to lose approximately five pounds after one month on the Dukan diet. This isn’t a significant amount, however, if you consider the extremes you must go through with your food consumption to follow this method.

There have been more healthy and effective dietary plans that can be followed for achieving excellent results.

Fats would melt away if you eat less processed sugars, flours, and fats, and increase the intake of vegetables and fruits. In addition, you could exercise more regularly and also avoid habits that are bad consuming alcohol and smoking.

You do not need to resort to a treatment that is drastic and has high risk of experiencing its side effects. In addition, it is more beneficial to avoid the so called “rebound effect” where the lost pounds are gained back.

Among the many people who argue that the Dukan diet isn’t for everyone, whether they’re obese or not, is a researcher from the University of Navarra (Spain).

Dr. Silva says that even when you follow the method exactly by the book it does not guarantee the results.

Dr. Dukan does not take responsibility for the follow-up on any of his patients, like at a medical center or nutritionist would be able to work with patients. Nor can he control a patient’s understanding of the diet. What’s worse, its book is general. It does not concentrate on some group of people in particular.

It’s known that everyone can not follow the same kind of diet, because there are differences in: