Fad diets enjoy their popularity because they play on this desire of fast weight loss.  Fad diets promise dramatic weight loss results but their unfounded promises usually do not result in keeping the weight off long term or at all.  People will do whatever it takes to get the weight off fast, even if it means trying diets that are not proven to work.

Each of us should be a skeptic when it comes to any new diet we hear of, the latest of which is the Sirtfood diet.   This diet claims to assist with weight loss, and offer other benefits “stimulating rejuvenation and cellular repair”. Lucky for everyone looking to get on the bandwagon, red wine and chocolate are the staple foods in this new diet.

This diet is based around eating foods that may interact with a family of proteins known as sirtuin proteins.  Aside from red wine and chocolate, citrus fruits, blueberries and kale also fall under the foods good for this protein interaction, dubbed “sirtfoods”. 

Let’s look at how the diet works:

·       During the first 3 days, calorie intake is limited to 1,000 calories per day where you have 3 sirtfood green juiced and a normal sirtfood-rich meal. 

·       Days 4-7:  Calorie intake is increased to 1,500 calories and is made up of two juices and two meals

·       After the first week, the diet tells you to eat a balanced diet rich in sirtuin foods, more green juices, and follow structured meal plans.  

The pro-sirtfood nutritionists say the diet “influences the body’s ability to burn fat and boosts the metabolic system”. Although the foods included have been connected to cell processes like metabolism, ageing and circadian rhythm, part of the reason it could work is the calorie restriction it poses.

 What do we really know about this diet?

Very little actually. What we know is that sirtuins contribute to fat regulation and the metabolism of glucose in response to changes in energy levels. They might also have a role in improved aging in conjunction with fasting or calorie restriction. But all the research done so far has been on mice.  There is no evidence as of now that the positive effects seen in animal models, apply to humans in any way or that the Sirtfood Diet works.  It is reaching to say the least that experiments that hail positive results in mice will work for people.  Until further research is done, it is a leap to trust this diet as anything other than a fad.