Assessment of Food Intakes For Women Adopting The High Protein Dukan Diet
Assessment of Food Intakes For Women Adopting The High Protein Dukan Diet
Assessment of Food Intakes For Women Adopting The High Protein Dukan Diet
Institute of Dietetics, University of Applied Sciences in Nysa, Ujejskiego street 12, 48-300 Nysa, Poland
ABSTRACT
Background. Overweight and obesity are metabolic disorders affecting both adults and children. Effective treatment of
these conditions is focused on decreasing the body mass, through individually tailored and well balanced diets, along with
increasing physical activity. Obese persons often, however, choose high protein diets for losing weight. Recently in Poland,
the high-protein Dukan-diet has become very popular.
Objectives. To assess dietary consumption in women adopting the Dukan-diet, including intakes of protein, fat, carbohy-
drate as well as vitamins and minerals.
Materials and Methods. Subjects were 51 women aged 19-64 years on the Dukan-diet, who were surveyed by individu-
ally conducted interview. Women were asked to provide typical menus from each phase of their diets. Quantitative dietary
intake assessment was achieved by an officially used Photograph album of foodstuffs and dishes as custom-designed by
the National Food and Nutrition Institute (IZZ) in Warsaw.
Results. Protein intakes in all subjects were excessive, especially those of animal origin when compared to recommended
nutritional standards. In contrast, dietary carbohydrate intakes were low due to poor consumption of fruit and vegetables.
Mineral and vitamin intakes revealed high potassium, iron and vitamins A, D and B2, but low vitamin C and folates. Womens
average weight reduction after 8-10 weeks of dieting was approximately 15 kilograms.
Conclusions. Many nutritional abnormalities were found in women on the high protein Dukan-diet. Adopting this diet in
the long-term may pose health threats through acquiring kidney and liver disease, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.
STRESZCZENIE
Wprowadzenie. Otyo i nadwaga s chorobami metabolicznymi, ktre dotycz zarwno dorosych, jak i dzieci. Waci-
wym postpowaniem w leczeniu tych chorb jest zmniejszenie masy ciaa poprzez zastosowanie indywidualnej, dobrze
zbilansowanej diety oraz zwikszenie aktywnoci fizycznej. W celu redukcji masy ciaa otyli pacjenci czasami decyduj si
na zastosowanie diety wysokobiakowej. W Polsce, w ostatnich latach, bardzo popularna jest wysokobiakowa dieta Dukana.
Cel. Celem bada bya ocena sposobu ywienia kobiet stosujcych diet wysokobiakow Dukana. Oceniono zawarto
biaek, tuszczw, wglowodanw, a take witamin i skadnikw mineralnych w diecie badanych kobiet.
Materiay i metody. Badanie zostao przeprowadzone za pomoc 24-godzinnego wywiadu przeprowadzonego indywidualnie
z kad respondentk. W badaniu wzio udzia 51 kobiet w wieku 19-64 lat stosujcych wysokobiakow diet Dukana.
Kobiety poproszono o podanie przykadowego jadospisu z kadej fazy diety. Do oszacowania w wielkoci (w gramach)
spoytej ywnoci wykorzystano Album fotografii produktw i potraw opracowany przez Instytut ywnoci i ywienia
w Warszawie.
Wyniki. Kobiety biorce udzia w badaniu spoyway nadmiern ilo biaka, szczeglnie pochodzenia zwierzcego,
wstosunku do zalecanych norm ywieniowych. Zawarto wglowodanw w racjach pokarmowych bya niska i wynikaa
z maej poday warzyw i owocw. Wrd ocenianych skadnikw mineralnych stwierdzono najnisze spoycie potasu
ielaza, a najwysze fosforu i sodu. Wykazano take, e ze stosowan diet niska bya poda witaminy C i folianw, na-
tomiast wysoka witamin A, D i B2. Wrd badanych kobiet, rednia redukcja masy ciaa po 8-10 tygodniach stosowania
diety wynosia okoo 15 kilogramw.
Wnioski. U kobiet stosujcych wysokobiakow diet Dukana stwierdzono wiele nieprawidowoci ywieniowych. Dugo-
trwae stosowanie tej diety moe zwikszy ryzyko zdrowotne zwizane z wystpieniem chorb nerek i wtroby, osteoporozy
oraz chorb sercowo-naczyniowych.
*Corresponding author: Joanna Wyka, Institute of Dietetics, University of Applied Sciences in Nysa, Ujejskiego street 12,
48-300 Nysa, Poland, phone +48 77409 16 52, e-mail: [email protected]
Table 1. Energy and nutrients in diet of women adopting the high protein Dukan diet according to the diets phase
Calories and Phase I Phase II Phase III Phase IV
nutrient content x SD (% of standards)
Calories [kcal] 888.0558.0 (44.4%) 1020.0303.7 (51%) 1014.0 407.0 (50.7%) 1008.0 482.0 (50.4%)
Protein [g] 109.0 18.2 (167.6%) 116.0 15.6 (178.4%) 87.0 14.8 (133.8%) 114.0 13.6 (175.3%)
Fat [g] 34.7 27.2 (51.0%) 33.3 16.3 (50,0%) 60.9 21.0 (92.2%) 48.7 19.6 (72.7%)
Carbohydrate [g] 39.7 17.8 (13.6%) 70.3 25.8 (24.5%) 30.8 15.6 (10.5%) 30.7 17.8 (10.7%)
Minerals
Calcium [mg] 675.0 256.0 (67.5%) 1003.0 311.0 (100.0%) 860.0 311.0 (86.0%) 954.0 372.0 (95.0%)
Iron [mg] 7.8 2.4 (43.3%) 11.7 3.8 (65.0%) 9.3 3.1 (51.6%) 5.3 1.4 (29.4%)
Sodium [mg] 1751.0 572.0 (116.0%) 1862.0 422.0 (124.1%) 1392.0 379.0 (92.8%) 1698.0 497.0 (113.2%)
Potassium [mg] 2129.0 645.0 (45.2%) 3464.0 582.0 (73.0%) 2911.0 602.0 (61,9%) 2335.0 645.0 (49.6%)
Phosphorus [mg] 1670.0 207.0 (238.5%) 1312.0 197.0 (187.4%) 1526.0 251.0 (218.0%) 1706.0 232.0 (243.0%)
Vitamins
A [g] 1386.0 158.0 (198.0%) 1383.0 563.0 (197.0%) 1523.0 488.0 (217.0%) 1331.0 165.0 (190.0%)
D [g] 7.6 3.5 (152.0%) 5.92.5 (118.0%) 5.52.0 (110.0%) 6.33.7 (126.0%)
B2 [mg] 2.00.5 (181.0%) 2.60.7 (236.0%) 1.90.6 (172.0%) 2.10.7 (190.0%)
C [mg] 2.71.7 (3.6%) 4.52.6 (6.0%) 2.51.9 (3.3%) 3.92.3 (5.2%)
Folate [g] 120.053.0 (30.0%) 105.043.0 (26.2%) 155.062.0 (38.7%) 99.039.0 (24.7%)
No 2 Food intakes for women adopting the high protein Dukan diet 139
Dietary phases
Figure 1. Dietary calories derived from protein, fat and carbohydrate for women adopting a high protein diet according to
the diets phase
Figure 1. Dietary calories derived from protein, fat and carbohydrate for women adopting a
Women subjects were asked
high protein to provide
diet according a typical
to the diets phase BMI could be grouped into the following ranges; 47%
daily menu from the I, II, III and IV phases of their diet. women (25-29.9), 47% (30-34.9) - 1st degree obesity,
In phase I they consumed high protein foodstuffs, whilst and 6% (35-39.9) 2nd degree obesity.
in the ensuing phases, other products could also be
introduced; in phase II some vegetables were allowed,
phase III some fruit and starch products whilst phase IV RESULTS
only permitted high protein foodstuffs with a so called
pure protein day once per week. Quantitative dietary For the phase I, high protein diet, the mean dietary
intakes were determined by using the aforementioned calorific values were 888.0 kcal (Table 1) which cove-
Photograph album of foodstuffs and dishes as custom- red the recommended standards for each subject by an
-designed by the IZZ in Warsaw [30]. average of 44.4%, whilst mean protein intakes were 109
Menus were evaluated by the Dieta 5 computer g making up a mean of 167.7% to the recommended
programme using a data base compiled by Kunachowicz standards. Mean dietary fat intakes of 34.7 g covered
et al., also from the IZZ [14]. Additional information these standards by 51% and those for carbohydrates
was gathered on body mass and height before, during were respectively 39.7 g and only 13.6%. Calcium
and after dieting. The diets calorific value and nutrient intake made up 67.5% of the recommendations. The
content were compared to recommended Polish nutritio- mean body mass loss during phase I was 2.4 kg. In the
nal standards [11] for each subject. From these, calorific following phases, similar nutrient contents were obse-
values were taken as those appropriate to the body mass rved. Phase III showed intakes of 87 g protein and 60
of each subject when there are low levels of physical g fat which are closer to standards set. Because of the
activity and assuming that dietary calories are derived diets low calorific value (1014 kcal), the proportion
from 13% protein, 30% fat and 57% carbohydrate. of calories in this phase that is derived from specific
Dietary vitamin and mineral values were also compared nutrients differs most from the WHO/IZZ recommen-
to either the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) or dations (Figure 1). Calories derived from protein, fat
the Adequate Intake (AI) for adult women. and carbohydrate during phase III are respectively 34%,
Table 1 presents the mean dietary calorific and 54% and 12% (Figure 1). In phase II, the highest body
macronutrient content (i.e. protein, fat and carbohy- mass reduction was found; on average by 10.6 kg. The
drate) along with minerals (calcium, iron, potassium dietary intakes in phase IV demonstrated the greatest
and phosphorus) and vitamins (A, D, B2, C and folates) iron and potassium deficiencies of respectively 29.4%
during each phase of the Dukan diet and the proportion and 49.6% to the standards as well as having the highest
that this covers the recommended standards. Mean excess of phosphorus that covered 243.0% of standards.
dietary calories derived from each macronutrient (i.e. Dietary intakes of vitamin C and folates were very low
protein, fat and carbohydrate), for the average diet of in all phases; being respectively 3-6% and 24-38% of the
each subject were compared to those recommended standards. During dieting after 8-10 weeks, the average
by the IZZ. The subjects were broken down into 3 age body mass loss was by around 15.0 kg.
groups as follows; 40% aged 19-30 years, 47% aged 31
to 51 years and 13% aged 51-64%. Before dieting, the
140 J. Wyka, E. Malczyk, M. Misiarz, et al. No 2
33. Tkaczuk-Wach J., Sobstyl M., Jakiel G.: Osteoporoza - agement in obesity in adults: European clinical practice
obraz kliniczny, czynniki ryzyka i diagnostyka. Przegl gaidliness. Endokrynol Otyo Zaburz Przem Materii
Menop 2010;9(2):113-117. 2009;5(3):87-98 (in Polish).
34. Tsigos C., Hainer V., Basdevant A., Finer N., Fred M.,
Malthus-Vliegen E., Micic D., Maislos M., Roman G., Received: 12.12.2014
Schulz Y., Topkal H., Zahorska-Markiewicz B.: Man- Accepted: 08.04.2015