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CNN Live Today

Daily Dose: Diets do Little in Slimming Clients

Aired November 10, 2003 - 11:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: From low fat to low carb to counting calories, and diets, and they're all big business. But which ones work the best?
Researchers took a look at four of the most popular diets to try to answer that question. Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has details with our "Daily Dose." Good morning.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. This is sort of one of these good news/bad news stories which is that the diets sort of worked but they sort of didn't. And what's nice is that they actually studied popular diets that people are really on. Sometimes they study the esoteric diets that no one's actually taking.

But in this case, they studied Atkins, Dean Ornish, Weight Watchers and the Zone. They took 160 people, 40 went on each diet, and then the looked at the results.

Well one of the most important things to know a good chunk of the people dropped out. People who were on Atkins and Dean Ornish -- Dean Ornish is a very, very a low-fat diet. Half of them have could not stay on the diet for the whole year that the study went on. They just left. So that tells you something right there.

And people who were doing Weight Watchers and the Zone, 35 percent of those could not stay on the diet.

Now when you look at the people who did manage to stay on the diet, the weight loss was less than amazingly impressive. Those, the people who stayed on the diet, they weighed on average 220 pounds at the start of the year. By the end of the year, they had lost 10 to 12 pounds.

Now, any weight loss is good. That's the good news. Any weight loss helps. But 10 to 12 pounds when you weigh 220 pounds is not huge.

Now, something that's interesting is that all four diets worked about the same. Atkins actually was the least effective of all of them, but they were all very similar.

KAGAN: Well maybe one of the reasons people are having trouble is confusing information out there. Bombarded by media messages. These new commercials by Kentucky Fried Chicken that basically promote it as a healthy diet food.

COHEN: Right exactly. Go figure, fried chicken as healthy diet food.

KAGAN: Tasty, I will give you that.

COHEN: Absolutely, one of my favorite foods. KFC has launched a series of ads that promote it as a health food. Let's take a look at one of those ads.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AD ANNOUNCER: The secret's out. Two original recipe chicken breasts have less than a BK Whopper. Or go skinless for just 3 grams of fat per piece. And now get a 12 piece bucket for $9.99.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I'm doing this for you.

AD ANNOUNCER: For a fresh way to eat better, you got to KFC what's cooking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: Two things that experts point out there. You saw that big graphic where it says three grams of fat. That's if you take the skin off. And, first of all, the people in the ad were eating it with the skin on. Frankly, I don't know too many people who take the skin off of KFC because the skin is crunchy and yummy and where all of the fat is.

They point out it's a better alternative, less fat than a Whopper. A Burger King Whopper has 46 grams of fat. That's damning with faint praise.

Let's take a look at what Center for Science in the Public Interest had to say about this ad campaign. This is a nutritional advocacy group. They say, "These ads don't tell the truth. These ads take the truth, dip it in batter and deep fry it. Colonel Sanders himself would have a hard time swallowing this ad campaign."

In response KFC says, "Our ads simply set the records straight by providing consumers the absolute facts about KFC's original recipe fried chicken which can be part of a balanced, healthy diet."

KAGAN: You notice they didn't say extra crispy. That's a whole other story. They're standing by their claims. However, are there government agencies that can come back and crack the whip and say you can't make those claims?

COHEN: They can review the claims and see if they violate the law. The Federal Trade Commission said, We are aware of the ad campaign and we are particularly sensitive, that's how they put it, to people who are trying to cross the line.

Speaking of the line, let's take a look at a KFC meal and see what it really looks like. The whole meal not just the chicken. If you were to eat two chicken breasts, coleslaw and a biscuit, 59 grams of fat, 1,140 calories -- 59 grams of fat is what most people are supposed to have in about an entire day and you're having it in one meal.

KAGAN: That's the whole thing.

COHEN: And I didn't even put in dessert.

KAGAN: Forget it. It all begins with the dessert for me.

Sounds like they're playing off, because Subway was successful with Jared who ate their sandwiches.

COHEN: That's right. Absolutely. That's the first thing I thought of. They figured if Subway can do it why not us? We'll compare ourselves to the Whopper.

KAGAN: Who doesn't? Like ugly bridesmaid dresses. Makes the bride look that much better. Elizabeth, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired November 10, 2003 - 11:38   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: From low fat to low carb to counting calories, and diets, and they're all big business. But which ones work the best?
Researchers took a look at four of the most popular diets to try to answer that question. Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has details with our "Daily Dose." Good morning.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. This is sort of one of these good news/bad news stories which is that the diets sort of worked but they sort of didn't. And what's nice is that they actually studied popular diets that people are really on. Sometimes they study the esoteric diets that no one's actually taking.

But in this case, they studied Atkins, Dean Ornish, Weight Watchers and the Zone. They took 160 people, 40 went on each diet, and then the looked at the results.

Well one of the most important things to know a good chunk of the people dropped out. People who were on Atkins and Dean Ornish -- Dean Ornish is a very, very a low-fat diet. Half of them have could not stay on the diet for the whole year that the study went on. They just left. So that tells you something right there.

And people who were doing Weight Watchers and the Zone, 35 percent of those could not stay on the diet.

Now when you look at the people who did manage to stay on the diet, the weight loss was less than amazingly impressive. Those, the people who stayed on the diet, they weighed on average 220 pounds at the start of the year. By the end of the year, they had lost 10 to 12 pounds.

Now, any weight loss is good. That's the good news. Any weight loss helps. But 10 to 12 pounds when you weigh 220 pounds is not huge.

Now, something that's interesting is that all four diets worked about the same. Atkins actually was the least effective of all of them, but they were all very similar.

KAGAN: Well maybe one of the reasons people are having trouble is confusing information out there. Bombarded by media messages. These new commercials by Kentucky Fried Chicken that basically promote it as a healthy diet food.

COHEN: Right exactly. Go figure, fried chicken as healthy diet food.

KAGAN: Tasty, I will give you that.

COHEN: Absolutely, one of my favorite foods. KFC has launched a series of ads that promote it as a health food. Let's take a look at one of those ads.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AD ANNOUNCER: The secret's out. Two original recipe chicken breasts have less than a BK Whopper. Or go skinless for just 3 grams of fat per piece. And now get a 12 piece bucket for $9.99.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I'm doing this for you.

AD ANNOUNCER: For a fresh way to eat better, you got to KFC what's cooking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: Two things that experts point out there. You saw that big graphic where it says three grams of fat. That's if you take the skin off. And, first of all, the people in the ad were eating it with the skin on. Frankly, I don't know too many people who take the skin off of KFC because the skin is crunchy and yummy and where all of the fat is.

They point out it's a better alternative, less fat than a Whopper. A Burger King Whopper has 46 grams of fat. That's damning with faint praise.

Let's take a look at what Center for Science in the Public Interest had to say about this ad campaign. This is a nutritional advocacy group. They say, "These ads don't tell the truth. These ads take the truth, dip it in batter and deep fry it. Colonel Sanders himself would have a hard time swallowing this ad campaign."

In response KFC says, "Our ads simply set the records straight by providing consumers the absolute facts about KFC's original recipe fried chicken which can be part of a balanced, healthy diet."

KAGAN: You notice they didn't say extra crispy. That's a whole other story. They're standing by their claims. However, are there government agencies that can come back and crack the whip and say you can't make those claims?

COHEN: They can review the claims and see if they violate the law. The Federal Trade Commission said, We are aware of the ad campaign and we are particularly sensitive, that's how they put it, to people who are trying to cross the line.

Speaking of the line, let's take a look at a KFC meal and see what it really looks like. The whole meal not just the chicken. If you were to eat two chicken breasts, coleslaw and a biscuit, 59 grams of fat, 1,140 calories -- 59 grams of fat is what most people are supposed to have in about an entire day and you're having it in one meal.

KAGAN: That's the whole thing.

COHEN: And I didn't even put in dessert.

KAGAN: Forget it. It all begins with the dessert for me.

Sounds like they're playing off, because Subway was successful with Jared who ate their sandwiches.

COHEN: That's right. Absolutely. That's the first thing I thought of. They figured if Subway can do it why not us? We'll compare ourselves to the Whopper.

KAGAN: Who doesn't? Like ugly bridesmaid dresses. Makes the bride look that much better. Elizabeth, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com