49% of British women are currently on a diet, with many reporting negative health impacts
- 61% of UK women believe fad diets are more targeted towards women than men.
- 36% of UK women do not believe fad dieting has positively impacted their mental health.
- Over 24% of women began dieting by age 16, twice the percentage of men.
- 15% of UK women say they feel pressure to lose weight from romantic partners.
Leading online pharmacy Asda Online Doctor has conducted a nationwide survey to understand the true impact of fad dieting on the UK public.
The research reveals that 49% of British women are currently on a diet, and nearly one in four (22%) report experiencing fatigue or hair loss due to fad dieting. Moreover, 16% of women say fad dieting has negatively impacted their social lives, twice the rate reported by men (8%), and 36% do not believe fad dieting has positively impacted their mental health.
Despite these effects, many UK women still feel intense pressure to diet. 61% believe fad diets are marketed more towards women than men, and one in five (20%) say they feel pressure to lose weight from social media, family (19%), romantic partners (15%) and friends (12%).
The cost of dieting isn’t just taking a toll on women’s mental and physical health – it’s also hitting their pockets. According to the survey, UK women spend £167 on average on weight-loss products during their lifetimes, with some even reporting spending as much as £3,000.
The average age for UK women to start dieting is 24. However, almost a quarter (24%) of UK women reported starting their first diet by age 16. Regarding where they learnt about the fad diets they had tried, over a third of women said they had been recommended by a friend (37%), 29% through online searches and 26% in a magazine.
The most popular diets among UK women are the Keto diet (28%), the 5:2 diet (27.6%) and the Atkins diet (26%), and 3% (the equivalent of nearly 650K British women1) admit to having tried the tapeworm diet.
Most women stay on fad diets for 1 to 2 months (32%), and only 4% do so for over 6 months, demonstrating that fad diets are a short-term fix and not sustainable long-term. Only 22% of women agreed that fad dieting had improved their physical fitness, while 30% of men said the same. In fact, 37% of women disagree fad dieting improved their physical fitness.
10% of women don’t feel comfortable talking about their weight to doctors, and 13% say diets are easier to access than scheduling doctor appointments. A further 1 in 3 (31%) would consider a weight-loss method that hasn’t been scientifically proven if it promised fast results.
Dr Kathryn Basford, a clinical lead at Asda Online Doctor, said:
“While fad diets often promise quick results, they typically lack the rigorous support and scientific basis of medical treatments. Our research shows that 67% of patients would consider medically proven weight-loss treatments, such as Wegovy and Mounjaro. By turning to scientifically supported solutions, patients can follow a safer, more effective path to weight loss, steering clear of the harmful effects linked to fad dieting.”
