Nutritional analysis of weight loss diets published in a women's magazine

Aims: To nutritionally analyze diets published in a women's magazine and compare them with current dietary recommendations for macronutrient and micronutrient intake by adult women. Methods: Twenty-four issues published in 2013 and 2014 by women's magazine with the largest circulation in that period were selected, and the weight-loss diets therein were assessed. The nutritional composition was calculated by the Avanutri (R) software and compared with the current recommendations from the Institute of Medicine for macronutrients and micronutrients. The diets were divided into two groups: large caloric restriction (<= 1,100 kcal) and slight caloric restriction (>1,100 kcal). Results: Twenty diets were analyzed, with an average caloric value of 1,227.83 +/- 261.54 kcal. All diets were deficient in vitamin D (mean of 2.09 +/- 1.16, folic acid (mean of 109.26 +/- 41.19), iron (mean of 11.35 +/- 3.06), calcium (mean of 532.23 +/- 133.56), and zinc (mean of 4.23 +/- 2.11). When both groups were compared, diets with large caloric restriction had lower concentrations of vitamin C (p=0.011), iron (p=0.051), calcium (p=0.022), and zinc (p=0.033). Most diets contained the recommended amount of macronutrients, but all of them were lacking in fibers. Most diets with inappropriate amounts of macronutrients and micronutrients were in the large caloric restriction group. Conclusions: Most diets had a deficient supply of energy and nutrients, especially vitamins and minerals that are important for women of childbearing age. Diets with large caloric restriction often contained inappropriate nutritional values. This result reinforces the importance that diets be individualized and monitored by a qualified professional.