categorized as a very-low-calorie diet. The diet plan has 6 variants or "steps." The first step consists of 3-4 products totaling at least 600 kcal per day. The remaining steps reintroduce regular meals and remove the 1:1 products in various combinations. Criticism The Cambridge diet has been characterized as a fad diet due to its starvation-level calorie intake, extreme weight loss, and its rapid rise and fall in popularity in the 1980s. Modern guidelines state that a diet of less than 1000 kcal/day should not be followed for more than 12 weeks, and a diet of less than 600kcal/day should have medical supervision., as very-low-calorie diets can lead to sudden death by cardiac arrest. When it was launched in 1980 the diet specified an intake of 330 kcal/day, and as recently as 2019 allowed an intake of 450 kcal/day. While there is some evidence that these types of diets result in short-term weight loss, there is little evidence of long-term benefit. There are concerns regarding the cost due to the fact that people must buy at least two weeks of product at a time. The British Dietetic Association lists the possible adverse side effects as including "bad breath, a dry mouth, tiredness, dizziness, insomnia, nausea and constipation". The American Academy of Family Physicians recommended avoiding fad diets. References External links Official Corporate Site Brand name diet products Fad diets