Low-carb diets get some vindication:
Two new studies show faster weight loss over the
short term
The
studies, published in the journal Annals of
Internal Medicine, showed that the meat- and
fat-rich regimen caused faster weight loss in
the short term than a conventional low-fat diet.
More important - because many had feared that
the diet, even if slimming, might unfavorably
affect cholesterol levels and be bad for the
heart - the low-carb
regimen also seemed to improve the dieters'
blood fat profiles.
The weight-loss regimen popularized by the late
Dr. Robert Atkins - rich in meat, eggs and
cheese but almost bereft of grains, potatoes and
fruit - is highly popular but had not been
tested in a scientifically rigorous way until
last year, when two studies reported that very
obese and moderately obese people lost more
weight initially on the Atkins diet than on a
conventional diet.
Last month, the scientists reported that after
one year, individuals on the Atkins-style diet
largely kept the weight off but did not continue
to lose more weight. The low-fat group continued
to lose weight slowly over the course of the
year.
Total weight loss for both groups over the year
was slight: an average of 11 to 19 pounds for
the low-carb group and seven to 19 pounds for
the low-fat group.
Weight loss wasn't the only effect of these
diets. Both studies found that levels of
triglycerides - blood fats that are risk factors
for heart disease - fell further in the low-carb
group than in the low-fat group. Levels of HDL,
or "good" cholesterol, also appeared to improve
more in the low-carb group.
Low-carbohydrate diets are richer in protein and
fat, which have the effect of making a person
feel full more rapidly. That means they'll eat
fewer calories.
Not only that, but people following an
Atkins-style diet have many more food
restrictions, which could also slash the number
of calories they consume.
These very restrictions could make it harder to
stay with the diet over the longer haul - and
might easily be the reason why patients on
low-carb diets eventually stopped losing weight,
while low-fat dieters continued to lose.
