Dietetics: Calories Still Count

At one time or another, said Dr. Harry Hoffman, chairman of the Mayo Clinic’s committee on dietetics, he and his colleagues have been asked to put their seal of approval on just about every weight-reducing regimen ever devised by man. The answer has always been the same. Not only did Mayo never lend its name to the so-called Mayo Clinic Diet, Dr. Hoffman told the Grocery Manufacturers of America, but the clinic is equally scornful of just about every other popularized formula for reducing.

After listing such names as “Air Force Diet,” “Astronaut Diet,” “Airlines Pilot Diet,” “Grapefruit Diet,” “Low Carbohydrate Diet” and “Drinking Man’s Diet,” Dr. Hoffman said: “I would like to take this opportunity to specifically disclaim any association with or responsibility by the Mayo Clinic for any of them.” The best program for the person who is overweight, he added, is simply to eat less. “There is little if any evidence for the success of any method which does not restrict calorie intake to a level below body energy needs.”