HEALTH : Warning Issued on Winfrey Diet

Very-low-calorie diets made popular by television star Oprah Winfrey can cause serious health problems--and even possibly death if misused, experts warned today in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.

The diets can cause short-term health problems such as dehydration, nausea and muscle cramping and possibly more serious long-term problems, including severe heartbeat irregularities, said Thomas Wadden of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and two colleagues.

Winfrey triggered “a frenzy of interest” in the diets in 1988 when she announced on her nationally televised talk show that she had lost 67 pounds in four months using a very-low-calorie diet under a doctor’s care, they said.

Studies have shown women lose an average of 3.3 pounds a week on the diets while men lose an average of 4.4 pounds a week, the researchers said.