I find this headline interesting: Atkins Diet May Be No Better Than Just Cutting Fat. Just cutting fat? It’s not as if the Atkins diet involves cutting fat and something more.
Anyway, according to the article, Atkins dieters lose weight faster initially, but everything evens out between low-carb dieters and conventional dieters. Interestingly, triglyceride levels fell further and “good” cholesterol levels rose higher on the Atkins regimen than on the low-fat diet.
In one six-month study, obese volunteers on the low-carbohydrate, high-fat and high-protein Atkins diet lost 13 pounds versus four pounds for obese people on a low-fat diet.In a second year-long study, obese people on the Atkins diet lost nearly 10 pounds more after six months than volunteers on a conventional diet. But by the end of the year, the differences between the two groups were not significant, suggesting the Atkins diet is no better at helping fat people shed pounds than traditional weight-loss regimens.
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The Atkins diet, first published in 1972, has been criticized by doctors because its high fat content increases the risk of heart disease, kidney problems and cancer. The 12-month study found, however, that triglyceride levels fell further and “good” cholesterol levels rose higher on the Atkins regimen than on the low-fat diet.