UK NEWS

DANGER OF DETOX DIETS - DOCTORS ISSUE WARNING

DAMAGING: Dawn Page's hydration diet left her brain-damaged

Wednesday July 23,2008

By Mark Reynolds

DETOX diets are dangerous and must be avoided, doctors warned last night after a mother left brain-damaged won an £810,000 payout.

Dawn Page, 52, suffered a massive epileptic fit brought on by severe sodium deficiency just one week into a “hydration diet”.

As part of the regime under nutritionist Barbara Nash, she had to drink an extra four pints of water a day and cut down on salt.

Within days she started vomiting uncontrollably, but Mrs Nash said it was all “part of the detoxification process”. She even urged Mrs Page to up her water intake to six pints a day and cut salt further, it was claimed.

The mother of two, from Faringdon near Swindon, then suffered a massive epileptic fit and was rushed to intensive care, but doctors could not prevent permanent brain injury.

Experts last night warned that “fad” diets are unsafe and unnatural. Dietician Nigel Denby said: “Diets such as these are in no way a safe or recommended method of weight loss, and should be avoided at all costs. They simply send the body into starvation mode, meaning the metabolic rate slows down and very little body fat is burned.”

He told why diets like that followed by Mrs Page are believed to lead to weight loss.

“Hydration diets work on the principle that those looking to lose weight drink lots of water to feel full,” he said.

“Their stomachs are full of water, and they do not feel the same urge to eat. This means that when they do eat they eat less, and so they begin to lose weight as a result.

“The diets also help to decrease water retention brought about by high levels of salt, which can give people the appearance of being bloated.”

But he stressed that this method of “starvation” clearly carried inherent dangers.

Dr Rosemary Leonard explained how hydration diets could cause severe damage to the body. “When we drink water, it is mainly lost in urine and sweat. The amount of water in the body is also regulated by salt in the blood,” she said.

“If we drink too much pure water, eventually the kidneys can’t cope and water starts accumulating in the body. The cells swell and because the brain is in an enclosed box, eventually the pressure inside the skull can cause brain damage.”

She said the average person needs about a litre and a half of water each day – just over two and a half pints – or slightly more in hot weather or after sweating through strenuous exercise.

Nutritionist Claire Dunt, of Foodmentor.com, warned that there was no safe quick-fix approach to dieting.

“Depriving the body of food and essential nutrients is totally unnatural, as we rely on these for growth and good health,” she said.

“I would always recommend a slow and gentle approach to detoxification, with a focus on eating plenty of fruit and vegetables.”

The warnings came after Mrs Page, who went on the diet in 2001 weighing 12st, was left with epilepsy and a “cognitive deficit” that has affected her memory, concentration and ability to speak normally.

At the High Court in London she secured a £810,000 payout from her nutritionist’s insurers.