From The Teen Scene
By Ronnie Bussey, Thu Dec 8th

What do the hula hoop, “high-protein diets,” and wearing yourclothes backwards have in common? They are all fads. Fads comeand go, but when it comes to fad diets, the health effects canbe permanent–especially for teenagers.

Not all teens who go on diets need to lose weight. Pressure fromfriends, and sometimes parents, to be very slim may create adistorted body image. Having a distorted body image is likelooking into a funhouse mirror: You see yourself as fatter thanyou are.

A national survey of 11,631 high school students conducted bythe national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention foundthat more than a third of the girls considered themselvesoverweight, compared with fewer than 15 percent of the boys.More than 43 percent of the girls reported that they were on adiet–and a quarter of these dieters didn’t think they wereoverweight. The survey found that the most common dietingmethods used were skipping meals, taking diet pills, andinducing vomiting after eating.

“The

teenage years are a period of rapid growth anddevelopment,” points out Ronald Kleinman, M.D., chief of thePediatric Gastrointestinal and Nutrition Unit of MassachusettsGeneral Hospital in Boston. He explains that fad cankeep teenagers from getting the calories and nutrients they needto grow properly and that can retard growth. Stringentdieting may cause girls to stop menstruating, and will preventboys from developing muscles, he says. If the diet doesn’tprovide enough calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D, bones may notlay down enough calcium. This may increase the risk ofosteoporosis later in life, although more studies are needed toconfirm this.

Instead of because “everyone” is doing it or because youare not as thin as you want to be, first finding out from adoctor or nutritionist whether you are carrying too much bodyfat for your age and height.

About the author:Ronnie is a content writer for www.1st In Weight Loss Tips.comYour Free Source for Weight Loss, Dieting, Health and FitnessTips! Promoting Health Living In Today's Fast Paced Society.