Debate rages on the merits of a study on weight loss in adolescents

"Claire and I did some research at the computer, because we are still on the road to improving her health, but what struck me in this study, that 's it? "It was not just about putting children on a strict diet, it was about helping them make healthier choices throughout their lives," says Tourle.

In less than two months, Claire, who weighed about 90 kg at the start of the study, lost five.

In general, the diet places young participants in cycles of fasting and regular meals, interspersed with diets low in calories and high in fiber.

Although Claire has managed so far, the debate over the merits of the study funded by the National Council for Medical Research for Health and the Health System has cost $ 1.2 million.

Sydney clinical psychologist Louise Adams sent a letter signed by 29 health professionals in Australia and the United States to the ethics committees who approved the trial calling for its abandonment.

Several Australian and international organizations with eating disorders followed, raising concerns about the safety of teenagers participating in the trial.

Adams, who has over 20 years of experience with patients with eating disorders, says the link between "extreme diet and development of eating disorders" can not be ignored .

"When you put a child or teenager on an extreme diet, his relationship with food is disrupted and his relationship to his own body image is distorted, with lifelong consequences."

Adams said the Harvard Medical School had advised against imposing intermittent fasting on teens.

"Research has found that children who limit their energy intake and skip meals are 18 times more likely to develop a eating disorder than those who do not diet."

Emma Hagan, a law student at Monash University, who has been bullied for her weight, fears that the study will cause eating disorders.

After being diagnosed clinically obese by the age of 10, Ms. Hagan was prescribed a strict diet that tipped her into a food disorder in less than a year.

Even at the present time, she still suffers from anorexia and has been cured during the last five years.

"From my own experience, I know that an eating disorder is not discriminatory and that having a professional who watches a diet does not matter," says Hagan.

"When I lost weight, I felt good, but when I did, I felt very bad, it's a state of mind that is rooted in me and in the way I see myself very early."

The obesity epidemic in Australia is accelerating at an alarming rate: nearly one million more people have become obese in the last three years.

A quarter of Australian children are obese or overweight, and more than one in 10 children between the ages of 16 and 17 are obese.

As part of Claire's study, approximately 180 children aged 13 to 17, with moderate to severe obesity and related health complications, will be subject to two restrictive regimes for one year.

Sometimes participants are only limited to a quarter of the recommended daily energy intake, but researchers say their nutritional needs will still be met.

The first group of children is subjected to an intermittent fasting diet, which includes three days of cyclical fasting with four days of a healthy and classic diet.

One day of fasting, about 800 calories will be consumed through a mix of meal replacement bars and shakes.

The second group of teenagers will follow a low calorie diet with high fiber foods.

However, all children will follow the fasting diet on the first day with the results of the two diets compared and analyzed.

Senior professor Louise Baur said the risks were "minimal and manageable", adding that the top priority was the participants' health and mental well-being.

"We are not aware of studies of obese young people seeking treatment for their obesity and at increased risk of developing eating disorders," she said.

Although the trial is the first of its kind, Professor Baur said that he had just had a successful pilot program in which 25 teenagers followed a similar pattern and saw the benefits of their cholesterol, their blood pressure, liver and heart function.

The trial is supervised by a team of pediatricians, clinical psychologists, dietitians and a researcher in eating disorders.

Both children and their parents must give their consent and all participants are screened.

"These are young people who want to lose weight," she says. "It's not the famine of young people …[each diet] is nutritionally complete in vitamins and minerals and at the end of this study, these young people will have adopted a healthy and normal diet that they will be able to continue long after the study. "

Each participant has up to 13 appointments with the test staff during the year, with regular additional assistance via SMS, email, phone and possibly Facebook.

Mr. Tourle also rejected suggestions that the trial puts participants at risk.

"If I thought for a second that my daughter was at risk, I would immediately withdraw her from the study, but we actually think that it's much more risky to let her continue the path of obesity "he says.

"Claire shines so much more.She is happier because she feels good about herself and as a parent, that's all you could want."

* Claire's name has been changed to protect her identity.