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Lawsuit Goes After a High-Profile Diet

Eight women say F-Factor diet caused health problems
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 16, 2022 1:25 PM CDT
Lawsuit Goes After a High-Profile Diet
A file photo of Tanya Zuckerbrot, creator of the F-Factor diet.   (Photo by Jason DeCrow/Invision for FiberChoice/AP Images)

Tanya Zuckerbrot has become a big name in the world of nutrition over the last 15 years or so thanks to her F-Factor diet, whose adherents consume large amounts of fiber. Now, however, eight women have filed a lawsuit alleging that the eating plan caused them health problems, reports Hannah Seligson of Rolling Stone. The problems listed are particularly unpleasant—"intestinal blockages requiring emergency surgery, gastric pain, rectal bleeding ... (and) fecal impaction" are among them—and the lawsuit claims that Zuckerbrot's company has not provided adequate information and warnings to those who bought the various F-Factor snacks and supplements on the market. The story has the details, along with the belief of the diet's many adherents that it works and is healthy.

The piece also explores another facet to the controversy—an ongoing public fight between Zuckerbrot and Instagram influencer Emily Gellis, who began making complaints public in a big way in 2020. Zuckerbrot and F-Factor have brought two defamations suits against Gellis over the least two years, both of which are pending. (Yes, there's a podcast about all of this.) The story provides plenty of ammo for both sides of the debate. "Why on earth would anyone want to ingest copious amounts of fiber?" asks Seligson. "Because, for many, the diet really works." She notes that praise comes not just from celeb clients such as Donny Deutsch but from medical and nutrition professionals who say that Americans in general get too little fiber in their diets. But there are also the professionals who say the diet takes things too far. (Read the full story.)

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