Atkins Weight Loss Plans – Preliminary Studies Show Plan Is Effective

Two studies in the New England Journal of Medicine suggest the popular weight-loss plan called the Atkins diet is more effective than a traditional low-fat diet at helping people shed unwanted pounds.

The Atkins approach encourages consumption of high-fat and high-protein foods such as meat and dairy products and discourages consumption of carbohydrates.

Experts: More Study Needed

"The results are very surprising and at the same time very preliminary," says Gary Foster, clinical director of the University of Pennsylvania's Weight and Eating Disorders Program and leader of one of the studies. "The take-home message is that this diet deserves further study."

The results, says a spokeswoman for the Atkins Center in New York City, are confirmation of the views of the physician who created the diet, Dr. Robert Atkins.

"They aren't surprising to us," says Collette Heimowitz, director of education and research at the center. "It's what we've seen in clinical practice for the last few years."

But a critic of the Atkins diet, Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center at the Yale School of Medicine, is concerned by the studies' findings.

The study led by Foster enrolled 63 obese men and women whose average weight was 216 pounds. Some were given a copy of Atkins' "New Diet Revolution," and were asked to follow that diet, which emphasizes fat intake and limits carbohydrates.

Others were given instructions about a conventional weight-loss diet. This diet advised 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day for women and 1,500 calories a day for men. It contained 60 percent carbohydrates, 25 percent fat, and 15 percent protein.

After three months, the average weight loss was 14.7 pounds in the Atkins group, and 5.8 pounds in the conventional group.

At six months, weight loss averaged 15.2 pounds in the Atkins group and 6.9 pounds in the conventional group. At one year, average weight loss was 9.5 pounds in the Atkins group and 5.4 pounds in the conventional group, a statistically insignificant difference, the study says.

A major concern about the Atkins diet has been that it might increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by raising blood levels of artery-clogging fats.

However, at the end of the year Atkins participants had an average 18 percent increase in HDL cholesterol - the "good" kind that helps clear arteries - compared to a 3 percent increase in the conventional group. And blood levels of artery-clogging triglycerides dropped 28 percent in the Atkins group, yet increased 1 percent in the conventional group.

A report in the same issue of the journal on a parallel study,conducted at Washington University in St. Louis, showed essentially similar results.

"We are happy that research is finally being done so that health-care providers can offer a safe alternative to those who want to follow a low-calorie diet," Heimowitz says.

Tailor Eating Plans for Individuals

Foster is much more cautious. "It looks like the diet merits further study and could help some people," he says. People now are being enrolled for a five-year study, he adds.

Yale's Katz says the studies were flawed because they were not "blind," meaning participants knew what their role was.

"If you know that you are testing something new, that is exciting, and it introduces a very important bias," Katz says.

Also, the dropout rate was very high - 43 percent in the conventional group, and 39 percent in the Atkins group. That could have skewed the results, he adds.

And the researchers never measured calorie intake, Katz points out.

Since the Atkins group participants were told to cut back on carbohydrates, "It is almost inevitable that they had lower calorie intake," he says. "Restricting choice is one of the most effective ways of reducing calorie intake." Foster recommends that when an individual is considering a weight-loss plan, "Those decisions should be made on an individual level, with discussion between patient and doctor," Foster says.

Always consult your physician for more information.

For more information, see how Dr. Atkins diet works.

About The Author:

Mark Harris is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.atkins-diet-plan-n-recipes.com. Information about the Atkins diet plan and low carb cooking for long term weight loss.