The world is full of diets. Some of them are fads, and others actually work. The newest fad to circulate on the Internet appears to be the “Cardiac Unit of Birmingham Hospital Diet,” which is supposed to help you lose ten pounds in just three days.

There’s just one catch – there is no “Birmingham Hospital.” Oh, and a cardiologist at another hospital that was asked about it suggested that it might be a bad idea. There isn’t enough nutrition given in the diet for a person to actually maintain good health or any kind of long-term weight loss on it, and it could be dangerous for people who already have medical conditions.

The best way to lose weight (and keep it off, which is the area where most dieters have trouble) is to eat sensibly, eat fewer calories, and get more exercise. You won’t lose ten pounds in three days, but you’ll be healthier in the long run.

Women who are past menopause and trying to avoid diabetes might not need to be so concerned about how much fat they get in their diet. New research has indicated that losing weight, no matter how that’s done – as long as it’s safely! — is the best way to avoid the risk of diabetes.

When a group of women who ate a low fat diet was compared to a group of women who continued on their normal diet there was no significant difference between the rates at which they acquired diabetes…with the exception of women who lost weight.

In those women the risk of diabetes was lowered enough to be considered statistically significant. For women who are past or approaching menopause, keeping weight down can keep health risks lower as well.

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