Low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets may trigger a quick weight loss, but it's only temporary and largely due to water loss, not body fat. Such a diet on a long-term basis also would probably promote chronic diseases. So says a Cornell University nutritional sciences professor on "Ask The Nutrition Expert," a recent feature on Cornell Cooperative Extension's Food and Nutrition World Wide Web site.

The overall site provides research-based information on food, nutrition and health, and food safety. The "Ask The Nutrition Expert" feature at http://www.cce.cornell.edu/food provides a concise summary and answers questions on a specific topic that changes periodically. It is targeted to nutrition professionals as a way to provide easy access to the expertise of nutrition faculty at Cornell. For the next two months, the featured topic is "Low-Carbohydrate Diets: Heresy or Hype?" discussed by expert David Levitsky, Cornell professor of nutritional sciences.

"The expert will answer individuals' questions via e-mail, and the questions and answers of general interest on that topic will be posted on the web site," says Christina Stark, a nutritionist in the Division of Nutritional Sciences who developed and maintains "Ask The Nutrition Expert" and its home site in collaboration with Ariadne's Thread Inc., a local web design firm.

The web site also links to an archive of previous topics, which includes antioxidants, selenium, folic acid and food insecurity, with related questions and answers. Upcoming topics include eating behaviors and what influences decisions regarding fruit and vegetable consumption. Recent questions/answers posted include: Is there a difference in bioavailability between folic acid in foods versus supplements? Are vegetarians at risk of selenium deficiency? Should I recommend supplements containing antioxidants?

The "Ask The Nutrition Expert" complements Nutriquest, the Cornell Division of Nutritional Sciences' web site at http://www.nutrition.cornell.edu/nutriquest, which fields questions from the public on any nutrition-related questions during the academic year. Nutrition majors, under the supervision of professors of nutrition, provide answers to questions emailed to the Nutriquest site. Its archive of answers goes back to 1991.

"Ask the Nutrition Expert" is supported by Cornell Cooperative Extension and the New York State College of Human Ecology at Cornell. Nutriquest is supported by the Division of Nutritional Sciences.