Diets, Fad: Weight-Loss Industry and Fad Diets

Americans have been gaining weight, so much so that, as of 2010, 61 percent of Americans are judged overweight. Obesity rates have risen from 12 percent to 20 percent of the population since 1991. Serious health risks, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, together with social stigma, drove many Americans to seek fast-working weight-loss programs. As a result, a wide variety of fad reducing diets appeared on the market. By the turn of the millennium, Americans were spending more than $30 billion on diet products and diet plans each year. Weight-loss fad diets may work for a short period at first due to extremely low caloric intake, but their effectiveness may be difficult to maintain in the long run.