Many people are interested in losing weight but not at the expense of their health. That is why the Atkins diet has been so controversial.
Many people assume that this high-fat low-carb approach will increase cholesterol levels and clog coronary arteries. Even though there have been several studies showing that a low-carbohydrate diet can actually improve lipid levels and ratios, such data are hard to swallow.
Now scientists at Johns Hopkins University have found that a low-carb, high-fat diet like Atkins, Zone or South Beach can help people lose weight without harming their arteries. In one study 23 people were assigned to a low-fat or low-carb diet for six months, along with moderate exercise. Those following the low-carb diet lost 10 pounds in 45 days and had normal responses on tests of vascular health.
The subjects following a low-fat diet needed an extra month–70 days–to lose 10 pounds. The researchers say that more people should feel free to try the low-carb approach if they need to lose weight.
[American College of Sports Medicine, Denver, June 3, 2011]
OK…we know it is hard to believe that eating a low-carbohydrate (relatively high fat) diet won’t clog your arteries. But this is not the first research to show that an Atkins-like diet actually improves blood lipid ratios better than a Dean Ornish-type low fat diet. Take a look at the actual research and don’t let the diet dictocrats baffle you with beliefs and BS. Want to read more. Here’s a reference to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine.
