How what you eat affects your health

What are the dangers of restrictive or poor diets? [Patient]( This week’s newsletter is about diets. If this subject is not relevant to you, please visit Patient.info for a full range of healthcare topics.   With the prevalence of diet culture in today’s society, restrictive dieting is often portrayed as ‘healthy’ - whether it’s the keto diet, the alkaline diet or meal plans that claim to ‘detox’. In truth, these diets are often lacking in essential nutrients, leave your body under-fuelled, and can cause hormonal imbalances. It’s important to understand the dangers of strict dieting before making major changes to what and how you eat.     Eating too many of the wrong kinds of foods can also significantly increase your risk of illness. Diets that are high in salt, saturated fats, and sugar can leave you prone to a host of serious conditions like stroke, type 2 diabetes, and diseases affecting your heart and blood vessels.   Junk food, which is high in these ingredients and very low in nutritional content, has also been linked to a lower sperm count in men. Your diet affects so much more than your weight, and ensuring that you eat a nutrient-rich and varied diet is one of the best ways for you to control your health.   Dr Sarah Jarvis MBE, Clinical Director at Patient [General Health Blood Test]( [General Health Blood Test]( [Why are more young women losing their periods due to restrictive diets and excessive exercise ]( [Why are more young women losing their periods due to restrictive diets and excessive exercise?]( Experts have become alarmed by the increasing number of people losing their periods as a result of restrictive dieting and excessive exercise.  [Read more]( [What are the dangers of a detox diet?  ]( [What are the dangers of a detox diet?  ]( [The keto diet: is it safe and will it really help you lose weight?]( [The keto diet: is it safe and will it really help you lose weight?]( [Junk food diet linked to low sperm count](   [Junk food diet linked to low sperm count](  [What lifestyle changes can reduce your risk of stroke](   [What lifestyle changes can reduce your risk of stroke?]( [How can crash diets affect your metabolic flexibility?](   [How can crash diets affect your metabolic flexibility?]( Although crash diets can help with rapid weight loss in the short term, the mechanism of metabolic flexibility could result in long-term consequences on your waistline.  [Read more]( Follow our latest health tips and discussions [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest](   © Egton Medical Information Systems Limited. Registered in England and Wales.   Registered number: 10004395 Registered office: Fulford Grange, Micklefield Lane, Rawdon, Leeds LS19 6BA. Patient is a UK registered trade mark.    You have received this email because you are subscribed to the Patient newsletter. However, if you'd rather not receive them, you can [unsubscribe here](. [Terms & Conditions]( [Privacy Policy]( [Feedback]( [Login](