Diet Wars

Obesity in adults has increased 50 per cent in the past decade, with the statistics even higher for children. Ninety five per cent of dieters fail. The only winner is the diet industry, despite the fact that the numerous diet solutions it has sold to the public have failed to deliver on their promises of permanent weight loss. DIET WARS documents the dubious claims, exaggerations and half-truths put forth by the leading diet 'gurus'. As well, the hour-long program explores the facts behind other reducing choices, including diet pills and surgical procedures. The problem is real. As DIET WARS points out, half of North Americans are overweight and one quarter of us are obese. The reasons for obesity aren't a secret. They include too much food and not enough exercise. Being overweight in a society that publicly worships the slender leads to low self-esteem and prompts many to go on a diet. DIET WARS features interviews with various 'experts' competing for the diet dollar. Every diet has a battalion of converts. Dr. Robert C. Atkins sells the high fat/high animal protein diet; Dr. Dean Ornish swears the low fat/no animal protein diet can reverse heart damage; Suzanne Somers' Somersizing - eat more, yet weigh less, and Jim Karas' Business Plan for the Body. As DIET WARS reveals, some people pursue radical, surgical solutions, including liposuction (fat extraction), and bariatrics (sealing most of the stomach) - both expensive procedures, sometimes with serious side effects. Diet pills are also popular, but have proven drawbacks including tragic or deadly side effects.