Doctors should discourage teens from dieting because of health risks, pediatrics group says

Doctors should discourage teenagers from dieting because it can be dangerous to their physical and mental health, according to new advice from a panel of Canadian pediatricians.

In its first statement on adolescent dieting in more than 20 years, the Canadian Paediatric Society advised physicians who care for children to instead promote a “health at every size” approach that focuses on how adolescents exercise, eat, sleep and socialize, rather than how much they weigh.

Teens who restrict calories or cut out food groups in a quest to change their appearance can experience unintended negative consequences, said Megan Harrison, chair of the CPS’s adolescent health committee.