Dieticians have warned of the dangers of losing weight with a 'starvation diet' available in Britain for the first time.
The British Dietetic Association (BDA) says there are 'huge risks' to the diet, in which people are given just 130 calories a day through a feeding tube that goes up their nose and down to their stomach.
The 10-day regime forces the body to burn up so much fat that people lose up to 10 per cent of their weight.
But Sasha Watkins, dietician and spokesperson for the BDA, said naso-gastric feeding tubes should only be used in hospital under medical supervision.
'They could become dislodged while people are at home and food may go down into the lungs,' she warned.
She added the severe calorie restriction and pure protein formula feed could damage the kidneys.
The fears have been robustly dismissed by the doctor promoting the Ketogenic Enteral Nutrition (KEN) diet.
Dr Ray Shidrawi is a widely respected consultant gastroenterologist at Homerton Hospital in east London and runs a private weight-loss clinic.
He told Sky News that soon-to-be published trials on more than 19,000 patients in Italy show that the diet is safe.
'KEN is a properly studied technique. We know it does not harm you in any way,' he said.
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Concerns in UK over feeding tube diet
