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Nutr Clín Diet Hosp. 2022; 42(1):87-95
Artículo Original
The history of grapefruit diet: Four solved mysteries
La historia de la dieta del pomelo: Cuatro misterios resueltos
Inmaculada ZARZO1,2, José M. SORIANO1,2
1 Food & Health Lab, Institute of Materials Science, University of Valencia, Paterna, Valencia, Spain.
2 Joint Research Unit on Endocrinology, Nutrition and Clinical Dietetics, University of Valencia-Health Research Institute La Fe, Spain.
Recibido: 12/febrero/2022. Aceptado: 21/febrero/2022.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Several decades ago, grapefruit diet, or 18-
day diet, appeared as a hypothetic treatment to help in the
weight loss being this citric fruit the key in the diet-planning
program.
Objectives: This review assessed the nutrition and the
history to discover when the diet appeared, who had this
idea, what energetic and nutritional value and how to act in
the hypothetic reduction of body weight.
Methods: A review was carried out in the PubMed, Google
Scholar, and Web of Knowledge and a comprehensive search
of the ‘grey’ literature.
Results: The reviewed information could indicate that this
diet was promoted by the food and cinema industry and ex-
tended intentionally or unintentionally by Ethel Barrymore
from the beginning of 1920s, being a low-calorie treatment
where probably grapefruit has nothing to do with that weight
loss. Furthermore, details of menu-planning were not entirely
uniform and varied with the consulted literature because
there is no book or pamphlet about the original diet.
Conclusions: Our review solved the mystery about grape-
fruit diet with a historical-nutritional viewpoint.
KEYWORDS
Grapefruit diet, 18-day diet, grapefruit, weight loss, history.
INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, excess weight, especially obesity, is not just a
major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high
blood pressure and sleep apnoea, among others1; it also
makes unsatisfaction with body image in patients2. Diets and
dieting have been a constant feature in the history from
Galen’s manual of nutrition3 through to recent treatments4
being some of them called miracle diets, which could be a
health risk, and even death5. This is the case of restricted eat-
ing (like so-called ‘mono’ diets where one is restricted to eat-
ing a single type of food) as the example of the consumption
of grapefruit or its juice due to that have high water con-
tents6,7. During the first decades of the twenty-first century, a
treatment named as ‘the grapefruit diet’ appeared in USA be-
ing also well known as ‘18-day diet’, ‘eighteen day reducing
diet’ or ‘Hollywood diet’. Ever since it began, four mysteries
have surrounded its history including i) when did it arise? ii)
who invented the diet? iii) what is its energy value? and iv)
how effective is the diet?
The aim of this article is to answer these four WH-ques-
tions words (when, who, what and how questions) and to
shed light closing an episode of the nutritional science us-
ing PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Knowledge.
Furthermore, this strategy was complemented with a com-
prehensive search of the ‘grey’ literature based in four dif-
ferent searching strategies: i) grey literature databases, ii)
customized Google search engines, iii) targeted websites,
and iv) consultation with contact experts.
WHEN AND WHO
The appearance of this diet is confusing due to that some
authors located in the 1920s8, 1930s9, 1950s10 or 1980s11.
Nutr Clín Diet Hosp. 2022; 42(1):87-95
DOI: 10.12873/421soriano
Correspondencia:
Jose M. Soriano
Jose.soriano@uv.es
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Nutr Clín Diet Hosp. 2022; 42(1):87-95
THE HISTORY OF GRAPEFRUIT DIET: FOUR SOLVED MYSTERIES
The quest for a response for this WH-question word must be
seen using the reverse chronology that it has the function of
revealing the plot in reverse order, that is, from the final event
to the initial one. The decade of 1980s, as a starting point, is
discarded due to that the diet, based on the original version,
was renamed as ‘10-day, 10-pounds-off diet’ being hypothet-
ically focused the value of grapefruit as burning up fat11.
We are therefore keeping the approach in the other
decades, but starting of several options as are Cagney’s,
Toledo’s LaSalle & Koch tea room, Mayo Clinic’s, Barrymore’s,
Lynn’s, Hay’s and food industry connections which is relation-
ship with the other WH-question word of this section.
Cagney’s connection is called for the American actor James
Francis Cagney, Jr. starred two films where use this fruit
(Figure 1A). First, ‘The Public Enemy’ (1931) smashed a
grapefruit into Mae Clarke’s face, which was staged as a prac-
tical joke at the expense of the film crew, just to see their
stunned reactions12. Director William A. Wellman, however,
eventually decided to keep the shot, and use it in the film’s fi-
nal release print. On the other hand, second film entitled
‘Hard to Handle’ (1933) where he played a con man who pro-
moted a new sensation called ‘The Grapefruit Diet’ reflecting
as 18-day diet13 and where drive up the prices of grapefruit
(Figure 1B). In our viewpoint, the presence of this fruit, in the
first film, is anecdotal being customary at breakfast hotel, but
it is the thematic thread in the second film which suggested
a current issue in a society that seeks strategies to lose
weight and where this diet is not fictitious but established
among patients who associate it with Hollywood actors and
actresses and it justifies that the diet predates 1933. We have
to go back to previous decade to find in relation to this diet.
The other three connections take us back to final of 1920s,
Jan Whitaker14 indicated that ‘in 1929, Toledo’s LaSalle &
Koch tea room offered of the eighteen-day Mayo Clinic diet of
grapefruit, tomatoes, eggs, and lettuce made famous by Ethel
Barrymore’. Hang on a moment, who are we talking about
here? Three keys are defined by Whitaker but we should
analyse it a little. First, Toledo’s LaSalle & Koch tea room of-
fered diet plates for its clients due to those dietitians worked
in this establishment as a traineeship place for students from
University of Toledo such is the case of Mabel Little that was
dietitian and director of this tea room15. However, we have
detected any references about of the origin of the grapefruit
diet in Toledo’s LaSalle & Koch tea room and in our viewpoint,
the establishment offered it due to that famous at that time.
This is borne out by the fact that the Hotel Paso del Norte in
Paso, Texas, offered the same diet in its publicity (Figure 2A)
at 192916. Second key is Ethel Barrymore who was famous ac-
Figure 1. Frames of two films of actor James Francis Cagney, Jr.
(A) ‘The Public Enemy’ (1931); where the famous grapefruit used for the movie clip appears in the foreground12 (James Cagney smas-
hes a grapefruit into Mae Clarke's face by astique333, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4R5wZs8cxI); (B) and movie clips of the the-
atrical trailer ‘Hard to Handle’ (1933) reflecting as 18-day diet was a central idea in the film13 (Original Theatrical Trailer-Hard to Handle
by Warner Archive, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuQuoONEwFs).
89
NUTRICIÓN CLÍNICA Y DIETÉTICA HOSPITALARIA
Nutr Clín Diet Hosp. 2022; 42(1):87-95
tress and great aunt of Drew Barrymore. In fact, she attended
assiduously to this tea room17 and the consumption of grape-
fruit would not be surprising to Barrymore because she had
tried it at the house of Elsie de Wolfe (also known as Lady
Mendl, after her marriage in 1926, who was an American ac-
tress who became a very prominent interior designer and au-
thor), who invented the Pink Lady cocktail; an unusual con-
coction of pink grapefruit juice, gin and Cointreau18.
Furthermore, Donna Risher indicated that Ethel Barrymore
gnawed eighteen days on grapefruit to keep from getting fat
(Figure 2B)19. Alternatively, one rumor traces the diet to ac-
tress Ethel Barrymore, who is alleged to have paid William
James Mayo and his brother 500 dollars to create a special
diet for her20. This links directly to the third key where West-
Rosenthal21 indicated that in 1925, the Mayo Brothers (as in
the Mayo Clinic we know today) prescribed the ‘Eighteen Day
Reducing Diet’ to Barrymore. However, this is not true due
that the known Mayo Clinic in Rochester steadfastly denied
any association with this diet22. This having been said, it is
quite clear that grapefruit diet was not created by Toledo’s
LaSalle & Koch tea room either by Mayo Clinic, and even less
by Barrymore with no training in health issues, maybe if she
consumed this diet, she made it famous. At least one more
clue, as the fifth connection, emerged in a photo23 recovered
by Science History Images and Alamy Stock Photo and dated
from 1925 reflecting Lalla Lynn, daughter of Mrs. Richard
Henry Lynn24, indicating that was one of a group who
adopted the 18-day diet from a menu, strangely, made fa-
mous by Ethel Barrymore. The following previous year based
in the reverse chronology is situated in 1922 where was rec-
ommended by fever patients, invalids and convalescents25 or
indicated as publicity to weight loss26. Surprisingly, few peo-
ple know that was reflected, in 1911, a diet with a similar
name (Hollywood diet), but with seventeen days of treatment
and different foods, being proved (or rather scientifically
cited) in rats based in the juice for reducing weight27.
To conclude this section, the last two connections take us
back to Smith’s book28 where indicated, erroneously, that this
diet ‘derived from Hay’s work, reportedly was promoted by
the grapefruit industry’. In our viewpoint, it cannot derive
from William H. Hay (1866-1940) due to that his book29 was
published in 1929 and, as we have seen above, grapefruit diet
was cited from four years prior. In connection with grapefruit
industry, it is an exciting argument, but not the only one
(even, probably, had to do cinema industry). This fruit was
established, by a Spanish nobleman called Don Philippe, near
Tampa (Florida, USA) in 1823 and developed with selection of
Figure 2. FMagazine cut-outs about grapefruit diet
(A) report in the Motion Picture Magazine41 in 1929 (18-Day Diet by Anonymous, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:18-
Day_Diet.png), (B) publicity of this menu in the Hotel Paso del Norte in Paso, Texas16 in 1929 (1929--Ethel Barrymore's Eighteen Day
Diet by dglsbgbsn, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14433824/1929-ethel-barrymores-eighteen-day/) and (C) report Today San Pedro
News Pilot19 in 1936 (HOW CAN I KEEP THIN? —lt’s Greatest Worry in Cinema hand Today by Center for Bibliographical Studies and
Research, https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SPNP19360125.2.181&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1).
natural mutations and hybridizations30. But also, there is an-
other important factor to keep in mind in this discussion
which, the appearance of a new variety pink-fleshed grape-
fruit in Florida during 1920s to help to the growth of this food
industry31,32. Table 1 demonstrated census and data of grape-
fruits during three decades33 and taking as reference the last
year cited above; 1925; it is true the increase of production
of grapefruit. In fact, the U.S. Public Health Service, in 1925,
had warned against the fallacies of this diet 18-day diet and
it might have added that it looks much like is a goal to mass
psychology in behalf of the California citrus grows34. But why
could the film industry have also intervened? It must be
found, at 1921, in a film fan magazine known as Picturegoer
where endorsed a measure of Americanization35 reflected as
simplified assertion about importance to eat grapefruit36. We
think that grapefruit diet was activated by the food and cin-
ema industry and promoted intentionally or unintentionally by
Ethel Barrymore during 1921 and 1925. It was an anonymous
treatment due to that were often appointed with the name of
the creator, this is the case, for instance, of Dr. Shelton’s37,
Banting’s38 or Atkins39 diets, but was reconverted as
Hollywood diet due to that sounded fancy enough, as was
pointed out by Yee40.
WHAT
The main problem is that there is no book or pamphlet
about the original diet being referred in menu cards, as in the
case reflected and printed by Adolph ‘Eddie’ Brandstatter
(Figure 2C)41; owner of Café Montmartre (or ‘Brandstatter’s
Café Montmartre) in Hollywood42. Furthermore, several au-
thors explained that this treatment is based in a low-calorie
diet (500-800 calories)43, at sometimes only 800 calories/day44
or less than 600 calories/day45. Nowadays, only three refer-
ences23,41,42 reflected the typical meal plan having sizeable dif-
ferences among them. We have assessed these three diets us-
ing food composition database, which help to obtain the
nutritional composition of foods, typically energy, macronutri-
ents, minerals and vitamins, from the National Nutrient
Database for Standard Reference (USDA)43. These estimated
nutritional values were compared with the first Recommended
Dietary Allowances (RDAs) due to that research dietary vita-
mins and minerals in the 1920s and 1930s led to the publica-
tion of this reference by the Food and Nutrition Board of the
National Academy of Sciences44. Tables 2, 3 and 4 show di-
etary intake of energy and macronutrients, vitamins and min-
erals, respectively, for the only found references, together with
ancient RDAs. Energy, vitamin A and calcium intakes are lower
than RDAs in the three assessed diets, but protein, thiamine,
riboflavin and iron are lower than RDAs in two meal plans23,41.
However, niacin and vitamin C are higher than RDAs in all
studied examples. On the other hand, the presence of Melba
toast was referred habitually in the grapefruit diet cited at the
beginning 192645, due to that this food product was produced
in Cubbison Melba Toast and Cracker Co., from this year to
1930, by Sophie Cubbison and her late husband, who baked
100% whole wheat bread46. Furthermore, grapefruit was sug-
gested its consumption as one medium piece23, a one piece
and one medium piece41 or half of a grapefruit and unsweet-
ened grapefruit juice42. Table 5 reflected the median grapefruit
intake in three diets23,41,42. Both treatments23,41 are a very low
calorie, ketogenic and a low carb and protein diets while the
other is a low calorie, ketogenic and a low carb and protein
diet. In our viewpoint, there is a lot of variability not only in
energy and nutrients, but also in the consumed foods, includ-
ing grapefruit, in the three found diets. We dare say that prob-
ably the last treatment42 was a mistake due to that are more
comparable the two initial diets23,41 than other42.
HOW
Nowadays, Chen and House47 reflected one reason attrib-
uted grapefruit consumption by consumers is ‘help with
weight loss’ (43%) being purchases usually in the summer
(38%) and prefers pink/red grapefruit (73%). The treatment
of weight loss has used grapefruit, its juice, as food supple-
ment or in pill. This last was carried out, in 1980s, indicating
the ecstasy of losing up to 3.6, 7.2 and 10.8 kg in 48 hours,
7 and 14 days, respectively48, while as food supplement was
reviewed by Watanabe et al.49 indicating that dosages from
81 to 142 mg/day had a low quality of evidence in the primary
impact on fat metabolism. On the other hand, only one out
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Nutr Clín Diet Hosp. 2022; 42(1):87-95
THE HISTORY OF GRAPEFRUIT DIET: FOUR SOLVED MYSTERIES
Table 1. Adapted census and data of grapefruits in USA33 from 1910 to 1930
nd: no data.
Year Numbers of farms
reporting Numbers of trees
Quantity harvested
Total amount of field boxes Total value ($)
1910 6,172 1,350,637 1,189,250 2,060,610
1920 11,431 3,073,477 3,656,437 7,176,703
1925 21,865 1,952,828 nd nd
1930 20,598 9,236,653 8,722,429 22,731,632
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NUTRICIÓN CLÍNICA Y DIETÉTICA HOSPITALARIA
Nutr Clín Diet Hosp. 2022; 42(1):87-95
Table 2. Mean values of energy and macronutrients intake
Values are expressed as means ± standard deviation (SD), SFA, saturated fatty acids; MUFA, monounsaturated fatty acids; PUFA, polyunsatura-
ted fatty acids. a Woman in sedentary work with 56 kg weight. b Man sedentary with 70 kg weight.
Variable Unit
Mean±SD RDAs (44)
23 41 42 FemaleaMaleb
Energy intake kcal 606.2±105.4 492.8±100.4 1191.9±37.5 2100 2500
Carbohydrate g 42.4±1.8 30.9±5.3 31.6±5.6 - -
% energy 29.5 26.7 10.8 - -
Protein g 36.2±16.9 33.2±1.8 104.9±4.3 60 70
% energy 25.2 28.7 35.8 - -
Fat g 28.9±5.4 22.8±7.9 69.4±0.2 - -
% energy 45.2 44.5 53.3 - -
Dietary Fiber g 11.1±1.6 8.7±0.6 10.3±0.7 - -
SFA g 9.1±3.0 7.7±2.2 26.5±0.1 - -
MUFA g 11.8±3.2 8.6±3.3 26.2±0.1 - -
PUFA g 3.9±0.9 3.0±1.1 7.7±0.1 - -
PUFA/SFA - 0.4±0.3 0.5±0.1 0.3±0.1 - -
(PUFA+MUFA)/SFA - 1.7±0.4 1.5±0.1 1.3±0.1 - -
Cholesterol mg 364.2±345.1 296.2±252.4 752.3±2.8
Table 3. Mean values of vitamins intake
Values are expressed as means ± standard deviation (SD), SFA, saturated fatty acids; MUFA, monounsaturated fatty acids; PUFA, polyunsatura-
ted fatty acids. a Woman in sedentary work with 56 kg weight. b Man sedentary with 70 kg weight.
Variable Unit
Mean±SD RDAs (44)
23 41 42 FemaleaMaleb
Vitamin A µg 1326.9±130.1 958.4±204.3 1247.8±503.4 5000 5000
Vitamin D µg 1.0±1.9 1.2±1.1 1.8±0.1 - -
Vitamin C mg 191.3±27.6 139.3±21.9 109.6±3.5 70 75
Vitamin E mg 5.0±1.9 3.6±0.5 4.9±0.7 - -
Vitamin B1(Thiamin) mg 0.7±0.1 0.6±0.1 1.2±0.1 1.1 1.2
Vitamin B2(Riboflavin) mg 0.8±0.1 0.7±0.1 1.9±0.1 1.5 1.6
Vitamin B3(Niacin) mg 14.5±8.7 12.6±3.2 36.2±0.9 11 12
Vitamin B6(Pyridoxine) mg 0.9±0.4 0.8±0.1 2.4±0.2 - -
Vitamin B12(Cyanocobalamin) µg 3.2±0.8 3.4±1.6 8.1±0.3 - -
Folic acid µg 208.0±42.4 150.6±53.7 204.6±5.7 - -
Pantotenic acid mg 3.8±0.8 3.0±1.1 7.5±0.4 - -
Biotin µg 23.7±27.0 16.7±13.9 492.8±100.4 - -
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Nutr Clín Diet Hosp. 2022; 42(1):87-95
THE HISTORY OF GRAPEFRUIT DIET: FOUR SOLVED MYSTERIES
Table 5. Intake of grapefruit/day in three studied 18-day diets23,41,42
Reference
23
Reference
41
Reference
42
1st day
Breakfast ½ ½ ½
Lunch ½ ½ ½
Dinner ½ ½ ½
2nd day
Breakfast ½ ½ ½
Lunch - - ½
Dinner 1 ½ ½
3rd day
Breakfast ½ ½ ½
Lunch ½ ½ ½
Dinner ½ ½ ½
4th day
Breakfast ½ ½ ½
Lunch ½ ½ ½
Dinner ½ ½ ½
5th day
Breakfast ½ ½ ½
Lunch - - ½
Dinner ½ ½ ½
Reference
23
Reference
41
Reference
42
6th day
Breakfast ½ ½ ½
Lunch - - ½
Dinner - - ½
7th day
Breakfast ½ ½ ½
Lunch - - ½
Dinner - - ½
8th day
Breakfast ½ ½ ½
Lunch ½ 1 ½
Dinner ½ ½ ½
9th day
Breakfast ½ ½ ½
Lunch - ½ ½
Dinner 1 - ½
10th day
Breakfast ½ ½ ½
Lunch ½ ½ ½
Dinner ½ ½ ½
Table 4. Mean values of minerals intake
Values are expressed as means ± standard deviation (SD), SFA, saturated fatty acids; MUFA, monounsaturated fatty acids; PUFA, polyunsatura-
ted fatty acids. a Woman in sedentary work with 56 kg weight. b Man sedentary with 70 kg weight.
Variable Unit
Mean±SD RDAs (44)
23 41 42 FemaleaMaleb
Sodium mg 330.3±47.4 310.2±36.0 1005.8±60.6 - -
Potassium mg 1624.2±280.7 1314.1±293.4 2930.4±223.9 --
Calcium mg 233.7±62.9 195.6±29.7 427.6±127.0 800 800
Phosphorus mg 502.7±89.8 444.9±66.4 1497.4±99.1 --
Magnesium mg 101.4±32.7 84.9±36.2 188.9±28.5 - -
Iron mg 6.8±0.3 6.7±0.1 18.9±0.5 12 12
Zinc mg 5.2±4.0 4.6±1.1 17.5±0.6 - -
Iodine µg 25.9±5.6 24.1±13.8 63.8±11.2 - -
Selenium µg 28.2±0.6 27.9±12.4 81.7±1.6 - -
Fluoride µg 178.7±13.4 83.0±38.9 152.2±7.0
three references where indicating the planned menu, sug-
gested that half of a grapefruit can be changed by 200 mL
unsweetened grapefruit juice. Healthy US-Style Eating
Pattern50 at the 2000-kcal/day level indicated the consump-
tion of one cup (237 mL) 100% fruit juice; including grape-
fruit. According to the aim of our manuscript, we have cen-
tred the search of bibliography in this fruit due to that the ori-
gin of ‘18-day diet’ was based only in grapefruit and not used
on any of your other food preparations. To date, two opposite
review and meta-analysis51,52, without conflicts of interest,
were carried out about grapefruit and citrus, respectively.
First of them concluded that evidence from randomized clini-
cal trials (RCTs) not indicated that supplementation with this
fruit generated significant reductions on body weight while
the other reference, where is indicated that studies are low-
quality, showed that could reduce body weight, body mass in-
dex, waist circumstance and hip circumstance compared with
the control group. However, this last review was focused in
citrus and/or its extracts being not applicable previous con-
clusions. In fact, only three articles studied this fruit. First of
them, Dow et al.53 studied the effects of daily consumption of
1.5 Rio-Red grapefruits for six weeks on body weight, but this
variety54 was introduced in 1984. The study of Fujioka et al.55
randomized to either placebo capsules and 207 mL of apple
juice, grapefruit capsules with 207 mL of apple juice, 237 mL
of grapefruit juice with placebo capsule, or half of a fresh
grapefruit with a placebo capsule three times a day before
each meal, obtaining, after 12 weeks, a weight loss of 1.6,
1.5, 1.1 and 0.3 kg for fresh grapefruit, grapefruit juice,
grapefruit capsule and the placebo groups, respectively.
These results cannot be compared with ‘18-day diet’ due to
that this last treatment has a duration of two weeks and four
days (versus 12 weeks), the consumption of this fruit is rec-
ommended in the meal (versus before each meal) and is in-
take around one piece and one quarter piece/day (versus one
piece and one medium piece/day). In the last article, Silver et
al.56 researched effects of a 1/2 grapefruit, grapefruit juice
and water preload consumed prior to breakfast, lunch and
dinner for 12 weeks after completing a 2-week caloric restric-
tion phase obtaining 7.1% weight loss overall, with significant
decreases in percentage body, trunk, android and gynoid fat
and waist circumferences but differences were not statistically
significant among groups. These data indicated the con-
sumption of a low energy dense dietary preload in a caloric
restricted diet are responsible in the effective weight loss
strategy rather than the consumption of grapefruit.
CONCLUSIONS
We have demonstrated that this treatment appeared in the
1920s, probably activated by the food and cinema industry.
This diet included several foods being grapefruit the gold
standard and which gives the name to this menu plan.
However, different examples of its elaboration were vague
and imprecise (i.e., not reflected the quantity of consumption
of each food), not general, or even stable through time. This
diet had not consensus on its definition and were lacking in
its contents, being the effectiveness to weight loss more the
result of its low caloric treatment than through the grapefruit.
93
NUTRICIÓN CLÍNICA Y DIETÉTICA HOSPITALARIA
Nutr Clín Diet Hosp. 2022; 42(1):87-95
Table 5 continuación. Intake of grapefruit/day in three studied
18-day diets23,41,42
Reference
23
Reference
41
Reference
42
11th day
Breakfast ½½½
Lunch ½-½
Dinner ½-½
12th day
Breakfast ½½½
Lunch -1½
Dinner ½-½
13th day
Breakfast ½½½
Lunch -1½
Dinner -1½
14th day
Breakfast ½½½
Lunch ½ 1½
Dinner -1½
15th day
Breakfast ½½½
Lunch ½1½
Dinner ½1½
16th day
Breakfast ½½½
Lunch -1½
Dinner 1-½
17th day
Breakfast ½½½
Lunch ½ 1½
Dinner ½-½
18th day
Breakfast ½½½
Lunch ½½½
Dinner ½½½
Mean±SD 1.25±0.01 1.44±0.02 1.50±0
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