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Author:
Ellen Daniels

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

| Article Keywords: Healthy Diets

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Healthy Diets... The Mayo Clinic Diet: No Good! In a world where fad diets are all the rage and people jump at the newest get-skinny-quick schemes, the "Mayo Clinic Diet" is nothing new. Having been around for nearly thirty years, this diet has several variances, but touts the same promise: to lose a lot of weight fast. Its name is also deceiving. It was neither created nor endorsed by the Mayo Clinic. Each variation of the plan follows the same plan. Dieters are encouraged to eat as much poultry and beef as they please. Some variations require that the dieter eat numerous amounts of grapefruit; others, eggs. One variation warns that dieters should not skip the portions of bacon. In all of the variations, dieters are promised to lose up to 56 pounds in the period of two months. As with all fad diets, the "Mayo Clinic Diet" promotes rapid weight loss by eating as much of an item as the dieter pleases, the most popular instance being grapefruit. It isn't a permanent means of weight loss, nor is it healthy. Most promoters of the diet even warn that it isn't safe to practice for more than a period of two months at a time. The "Mayo Clinic Diet" does not teach a dieter how to practice moderation. It perpetuates the problems of unhealthy eating and will not help the dieter control his or her weight problems. Additionally, the "Mayo Clinic Diet" offering the temptation to "eat until you're satisfied" and not count calories should be a warning label. The only way to permanently and successfully lose weight is to practice moderation. Following the trend of fad diets may not only cause you to gain all of the weight you've lost back (and sometimes more), it can have lasting affects on your health. Rapid weight loss, and subsequent gain, can be bad for your heart. It can also lead...