Dukan Diet goes on trial as creator sues rival for libel.(News)

Byline: From Peter Allen in Paris

THE slimmers of the world will have their eyes on a Paris courtroom today when the Dukan Diet goes on trial.

Its creator Dr Pierre Dukan has launched a libel battle against a rival who says the low-carb regime increases cholesterol and could lead to heart problems and breast cancer.

Originally launched in France, the diet has proved an Atkins-style sensation in Britain and the US, with millions following it in books, newspapers, magazines and on the internet. Some 250,000 copies of the Dukan Diet have been sold in the UK alone.

Asked for the secret of its British success, Dr Dukan replied that it was down to two factors - 'It works, and Carole Middleton.'.

Mrs Middleton and her daughters Kate and Pippa are all said to have followed the Dukan with spectacular results in the build-up to the royal wedding. Celebrity Dukan fans include Jennifer Lopez and supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

But Dr Jean-Michel Cohen, himself the author of several diet books on the French best-seller lists, insists that plenty of exercise and everything in moderation - including chocolate - is the key to successful weight loss.

Attacking the Dukan Diet in a Parisbased health magazine last month, he accused doctors, pharmaceutical companies and the media of 'climbing on the bandwagon of this fantasy'.

He says the protein-based plan is potentially lethal and ends up bringing misery to the millions around the world who have adopted it.

In line with the relatively modest libel payouts available in French courts, Dr Dukan is suing for a modest [pounds sterling]13,000 in damages at the Palais de Justice in Paris. But if he loses, he risks wrecking the worldwide slimming empire which has made him millions.

The Dukan Diet aims to establish users' 'real weight' before helping them maintain it for the rest of their lives, concentrating at first on 72 highprotein foods including fish and no-fat yoghurts. Copious amounts of oat bran are also involved.

Vegetables and carbohydrates are introduced later on, but dieters must have one protein-only day a week for the rest of their lives.

Dr Dukan claims that 40 per cent of those who follow his diet never regain weight - compared with the usual figure of around 80 per cent.

The rival regime preferred by Dr Cohen allows slimmers to eat anything they like so long as they stick to programmes varying from 900 to 1,600 calories a day. They can thus create good eating habits and build their own diets based on likes and dislikes - as well as avoiding anything which might affect their health.

In a case expected to last a week, Dr Dukan's lawyers will argue that disagreements between doctors are acceptable, but that Dr Cohen has gone too far.

Richard Malka, Dr Cohen's lawyer, will respond that the allegations of libel are 'ridiculous and abusive', adding that medical experts are 'unanimous in believing that the Dukan Diet carries grave risks'.

CAPTION(S):

Satisfied client: Gisele Bundchen

Satisfied client: Jennifer Lopez