Lose weight Why the “Sirt food” diet with which Adele lost 70 kilos is not a good option

Lose weight Why the “Sirt food” diet with which Adele lost 70 kilos is not a good option

The “Sirtfood” diet, popularized by nutritionists Aidan Goggins and Glen Matten and followed by celebrities such as Adele, bases weight loss on a hypocaloric regimen and exercise, but experts warn of the possible “rebound effect”

The weight loss that the singer Adele has lived in the last few months (British tabloids speak of more than 70 kilos) has been attributed to the so-called “sirtfood diet” or sirtuin diet. This is characterized by being a hypocaloric regime that is also accompanied by the practice of exercise and that, as a sign of identity, includes the predominance of a series of foods that stimulate the formation of sirtuins. Sirtuins are proteins present in cells that have enzymatic activity and that regulate metabolic processes, cellular aging, inflammatory reactions and at protección against the degeneration of neurons, according to Dr. Domingo Carrera, a nutritionist at the Medical-Surgical Center for Digestive Diseases (CMED).

Some of the foods featured in the so-called ‘sirtfood diet’, which was popularized by British nutritionists Aidan Goggins and Glen Matten are cacao, the olive oil, the castle, berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries), red onion, green tea, the matcha tea, the buckwheat, The chia seeds, the Red wine cinnamon, the parsley, The apples argula, The capers, the tofu, The nuts and the turmeric. However, as Sara González Benito, from the Professional College of Dietitians-Nutritionists of the Community of Madrid (Codinma) clarifies, the relationship of food with the activation of this enzyme is something that has been tested in animals, but not yet they are scientifically extrapolated to humans.

Why do you lose weight on the sirtfood diet?

The basis on which the weight loss achieved with this formula is that as it is a low calorie diet and therefore eating fewer calories, weight loss is evident in the short term, although in reality in the medium-long term the effects may be opposite, according to the Codinma expert.

Regarding the way in which this calorie consumption is distributed, Dr. Carrera explains that the “sirtfood” diet has three phases. The first of them lasts three days and in that period of time they are ingested 1.000 calories spread over a solid meal and three vegetable smoothies. In the second phase the calories increase up to 1.500 and another solid food is added, but the shakes are kept. This phase in principle would last, as he clarifies, until reaching “a healthy weight.” In the third phase, which is maintenance, calories are increased to 1.800 and a third solid meal is added, still keeping the shakes.

Regarding the preparation of the dishes, Dr. Carrera explains that both in the case of shakes and solid foods, there are plenty of foods that stimulate the formation of sirtuins. In addition, it includes lean proteins without saturated fat such as Turkey, prawns y salmon.

Not only the reduction of calories influences weight loss, because according to the CMED expert, it also influences the performance of intense exercise and the presence of the aforementioned foods that stimulate the formation of sirtuins and that supposedly (although that remains object of study) increase metabolism in the cell and burn more fat.

The dangers and risks of the Sirtfood diet

As it is a hypocaloric diet, during the first phase you usually lose muscle and feel weakness, dizziness, hair loss, dry skin or brittle nails. In fact, as Dr. Carrera reveals, following this regimen can cause the body to lack an essential nutrient such as iron, calcium or vitamins B3, B6 and B12.

Another of the inconveniences that arises when this type of diet is carried out is the difficulty achieving adherence to treatment and thus modify lifestyle habits as it is a restrictive diet that also eliminates many foods and is difficult to follow from a social point of view. These circumstances can lead, according to Dr. Carrera, to stop the diet soon and to produce the so-called “rebound effect.”

The nutritionist Sara González shares this opinion, who explains that, when we subject the body to a restrictive diet, it does not distinguish if we are doing a Diet to lose weight or if we are in a period of “famine”. That is why the expert emphasizes the fact that in these “times of scarcity”, the body responds in the following way: metabolism is reduced, levels of leptin fall (the hormone responsible for regulating satiety), obsession increases for those foods not allowed, as well as irritability, difficulty falling asleep and lack of energy.

In the opinion of the Codinma expert, restrictive diets “disguised as a fashionable name” are impossible to maintain over time, in addition to not being harmless to health, since the body is disrupted, not only physically but also also mental. “That superhuman effort It will lead to weight regain (in 95% of cases, according to scientific evidence) or a greater weight gain, “he says.

What the experts defend when talking about a healthy weight is that, instead of subjecting our body to cycles of deficiency states with weight gain and loss, the ideal is to focus on a few good habits that make us feel good and that we can maintain throughout our lives.