Celebrity diets fuelling obesity

London: Celebrity ‘fad' diets are fuelling the obesity epidemic, doctors warn.

They claim such plans are actually keeping people fat, with just one in ten Britons predicted to be of a healthy weight by 2050.

And they say weight-watchers should curb the amount they eat, rather than follow diets which offer only a short-term solution.

Diets that recommend eating only grapefruit, for example, or fruit and seeds found in the Bible should be avoided, says Professor Chris Hawkey, president of the British Society of Gastroenterology.

He also criticised the Tiger diet — which advocates uncooked food and is reportedly followed by Mel Gibson — and the apple diet, which claims to boost the body's acidity and fight disease.

Desperation

A survey commissioned by the BSG shows most dieters will try anything to get thin — except follow a sensible eating and exercise plan that has been shown to work.