Despite the fact that more than the...

Despite the fact that more than the same third of adults in the United States claim to be dieting at any given time, the incidence of obesity has doubled in the past couple decades. Traditional dieting schemes have relied forward low-fat, high-carbohydrate regimens to limit caloric intake. The Atkins-type diets that newly have become popular reverse this scheme through restricting carbohydrate intake and allowing high-fat consumption within an overall calorie restriction. forward and associates conducted a randomized, one-year trial to evaluate the efficacy of a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat Atkins-type diet onward weight loss and risk factors for coronary heart disease.

The consideration authors enrolled a total of 63 make liables (43 women and 20 men) There was no description as to in what manner these persons were referred or recruited to the trial. Exclusion criteria included any general use of weight-loss or lipid-lowering medications, and exemplar II diabetes, pregnancy, or lactation. To replicate the conditions beneath which most persons diet, the meditation design provided for only limited formal dietary instruction during participation. Participants were randomly assigned to tread in the steps of either the low-carbohydrate, Atkins-type diet (33 participants) or the conventional diet (30 participants). Before beginning their diet program, make submissives met with a registered dietitian to review their dietary assignment, and received either Dr Atkins' low-carbohydrate diet part or a text that outlined a traditional low-fat diet approach, depending upon their study assignment. Participants were assessed at baseline and 10 times during the year of the trial for material substance weight, blood pressure, and kindred tests, but did not receive further individualized diet counseling.

As with principally diet trials, the drop-out rate was substantial, with single 37 subjects completing the satiated 12 months. By the expiration of the one-year trial, 39 percent of participants forward the Atkins-type diet had dropp abroad compared with 43 percent of those forward the conventional diet.

Participants in succession the Atkins-type diet lost significantly more weight than those forward the conventional diet at three month and six month on the other hand there was no statistically significant difference in the average amount of weight los after common year. There also were no significant differences between the brace groups in blood pressure, total serum cholesterol flush glucose tolerance test results, or insulin sensitivity. Significant differences did persist after united year in a relative decrease in triglyceride concentrations and an increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, which were greater in parts following the Atkins-type diet.

The authors deduce that the Atkins-type, low-carbohydrate diet does not significantly improve weight los after common year compared with a traditional low-fat diet regimen. It also does not improve in the greatest degree obesity-related health parameters.

encourage GD, et al. A randomized trial of a low-carbohydrate diet for obesity. N Engl J M May 22 2003;348:2082-90

EDITOR'S NOTE: Another meditation (1) of a low-fat diet versus a low-carbohydrate diet followed a arrange of 132 severely obese human frames (average body mass index of 43) for six month The participants forward the low-carbohydrate diet had more weight los a greater small quantity in triglyceride levels, and improved insulin sensitivity; however, the magnitude of these changes for all the parameters studied was small. Unfortunately, the Atkins-type diets appear destined to join the ranks of thus many other fad diets that wane in popularity after it becomes evident that they lack any special efficacy for weight los The simple to understand, over and above very difficult to achieve, diet regimen of "fewer calories in, more [i]vis viva[/i] out" remains the only proven way to weight loss.--B.Z.

REFERENCES

(1) Samaha FF Iqbal N Seshadri P Chicano KL Daily DA, McGrory J et al. A low-carbohydrate as compared with a low-fat diet in methodical obesity. N Engl J M 2003;348:2074-81

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