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fad diet, any of various eating plans that promote rapid weight loss or other health benefits through highly restrictive, unconventional, or narrowly focused dietary practices. Typically characterized by claims of quick and dramatic results, fad diets often eliminate entire food groups, emphasize specific “superfoods,” or rely on simplified interpretations of nutrition science. Although some may produce short-term weight loss, many lack rigorous scientific support and may be nutritionally imbalanced or difficult to sustain. The recurring...