Is Dukan Diet Safe?

 

Is Dukan diet safe? Does it pose health risks in the short and long-run?.. The Dukan Diet is a type of low carb diet that calls for consuming high amounts of protein, low amounts of fat, very few vegetables and fruits with which you end up eating a lot of animal protein, meat, dairy calcium, and very little dietary fiber.

Calcium:

Your average calcium intake is about 2g per day, mostly from dairy products in both phases of Dukan Diet, while the recommended dietary allowance is only 1g. So you increase your risk of osteoporosis, renal colic, kidney stones and prostate cancer. Consume dairy products in moderation.

Salt:

The recommended daily maximum amount of salt per day is about 5 grams. People that follow Dukan diet tend to eat much more than that, the main problem being the bone and kidney mineralisation. Reduce the amount of salt you eat, choose foods that are lower in salt by nature.

 

Carbohydrates:

Complex carbohydrates should be a part of a healthy diet every single day and they should constitute at least half of your daily calorie intake for producing energy for you to carry on throughout the day. This is only about 20% with Dukan Diet and results in mood swings, lack of energy and constant fatigue. A diet low in carbs is not really a risk factor for health though as starchy foods tend to have high glycemic index values which lead to weight gain. But you have to consume enough of fruits, vegetables and legumes daily and this is not a strong point of Dukan Diet.

Protein:

There is just too much protein in Dukan diet and excess protein is going to be harmful for your kidneys. In both phases of Dukan diet, the upper limit of 2.2g of protein per kg of body weight is exceeded by 1-1.5 grams each day! If you don’t exercise or work out at the gym, you should actually be consuming less than a gram of protein per day. If you weigh 50kg, the total protein you should eat is not more than 45g.

There aren’t any health risks to consuming excess protein in the short run, but in the long run it is a whole new ball game. Type of source of protein- animal or plant comes into the picture as well. According to the results of different official studies, middle aged or older people that followed no or low carb diets that are high in animal protein increased their risks of mortality from different kinds of cancer and cardiovascular diseases by 15-30% (depending on the study and the disease). Your diet should have a good balance of animal and vegetable based protein and at least one third of your protein should come from plants.

 

Dietary Fiber:

Lack of bread in Dukan Diet is not a problem, the presence of oatmeal is great for Dukan Diet. But the daily fiber intake is only 2 to 3 grams in the first two phases of the diet then it goes up to 10g in the third stage and that is still not enough for a healthy adult. The daily recommended ditary fiber intake is 25g. Not eating fruits and vegetables is the main cause of fiber deficiency in Dukan Diet.

So is Dukan safe for health in the long-run? Well generally speaking, we don’t think so! Stick to eating quality healthy foods from different groups of nutrients instead, your body will thank you for it!

Return from Is Dukan Diet Safe to Glycemic Index home page

Or back to Complex Carbohydrates