Discussion:
Hydrolyzed gelatin use in diet
A weight-reducing diet heavily promoted in the past required the daily intake of "liquid protein" (soup of hydrolyzed gelatin), water and an assortment of vitamins. All other food and drink were to be avoided. People on this diet
typically lost 10-14 lb in the first week.
(a) Opponents argued that the weight loss was almost entirely water and would be regained almost immediately when a normal diet was resumed. What is the biochemical basis for the opponents argument?
(b) A number of people on this diet died. What are some of the dangers inherent in the diet and how can they lead to death?