The Atkins Diet: Is It Still Worthwhile or Worthless?
By now, almost everyone has heard of the Atkins diet. This is
the diet that promotes weight loss through the consumption of
foods low in carbohydrates and quite high in fat and protein
contents, but not necessarily low in calories.
It was the brain-child of Dr. R. C. Atkins who claimed that it
would initiate a greater weight loss than a conventional, low
calorie diet composed of a "balance" of carbohydrates, fats, and
proteins. In addition, it was supposed to be friendly to those
prone to diabetes because of the low intake of carbohydrate; it
might reduce the body's need for insulin. This diet concept is
diametrically opposed to that used for years by traditional
nutritionists and medical specialists.
Most experts initial response to this diet was that it might not
be safe because years of scientific evidence suggested that high
fat intake would surely raise serum cholesterol, thus increasing
the risk of cardiovascular disease.
What ensued were numerous heated debates in print and on
television about the worthiness of this diet. Unfortunately,
most of the battle lines were drawn on shaky grounds because
they were based on age-old dogma, and lacked serious scientific
inquiry. Fortunately, this was about to change. Some results of
very important research are now beginning to appear in the
scientific literature. Hopefully, this new information will
eventually determine unequivocally which side is right.
One of these studies was reported in the New England Journal of
Medicine in 2003. The investigators' aim was to conduct a
controlled experiment to determine the differences in weight
loss of both obese men and women who consumed either the basic
low carbohydrate Atkins diet or a conventional diet of reduced
total calories. The study lasted for one year. Besides weight
loss, a number of other tests also were conducted, including
blood sugar, blood cholesterol, HDL cholesterol (the
good
cholesterol), insulin levels, and blood pressure.
The results were interesting and different than most traditional
nutritionists would have expected. As Dr. Atkins had claimed all
along, after 3 months, the volunteers who ate the Atkins diet
lost 7-10% of their original body weight while those who ate the
conventional low-calorie diet only lost 3-5% of their original
weight. After 6 months, the results were similar to those at 3
months; however, after one year, those on the Atkins diet had
regained enough weight so that differences in weight loss
between the two diets were not significant.
Another interesting result supported the view of the traditional
nutritionists in that total serum cholesterol was increased
about 3% while those fed the conventional diet had reduced their
cholesterol about 5%. However, the "good" cholesterol was
increased about 20% in those consuming the Atkins diet but only
about 3% in those consuming the conventional diet. Neither diet
affected blood sugar, blood pressure, or insulin levels,
although the insulin levels of those consuming the Atkins diet
tended to be lower than of those consuming the low calorie
conventional diet.
The final results of the study suggested that volunteers who
consume the Atkins diet may initially lose weight faster than
those consuming the conventional diet, but after a long period
of consuming the diets, the differences may be lost. The
investigators suggested that a longer and larger study be
carried out before conclusive assessments are made about the
benefits or dangers of consuming low-carbohydrate, high-fat, and
high-protein diets.
About the Author
Ellen Daniels offers expert advice and articles on all aspects of Laser Hair Removal. You can read about the latest technology for Laser Hair Removal at http://www.LaserHairRemovalDetails.com
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