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and Atkins evaluated in peer-reviewed journals

Intakes of some macronutrients can comprise risk factors for life-style-related diseases such as obesity, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, and atherosclerosis...Mice fed the high-fat (HF) diet gained weight and developed hyperlipidemia and hyperleptinemia... [Thus, a high fat diet is dangerous.]

LOW CARB DIET MORE EFFECTIVE WHEN NOT STARVING: http://www.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/134/10/2646

The purpose of the present study was to test the influence of the amount of protein in a carbohydrate-free diet during a weight reducing program using severe (75%) or more moderate (35%) energy restriction in rats...A high-fat content in the diet devoid of carbohydrate did not increase energy intake and body adiposity and neither body weight nor body composition was significantly affected by the protein to lipid ratio when energy restriction was 75%; however, a protein content > 50% preserved lean body mass at the expense of fat mass when energy restriction was 35%. Our results show that the absence of carbohydrates from the diet induces a low energy intake and the preferential deposition of protein. [ATKIN'S DIET WORKED BETTER WHEN DECREASING FOOD INTAKE BY 35% COMPARED TO 75%]

1. Annual Editions: Nutrition 03/04 (J. Madeleine Nash, Time Sept 2, 2002 pg.46)

1. Low Fat pros and cons - Low fat diets reverse heart disease without medication. But need to pay attention to good fats found in fish and vegetables (omega-3 fats) and avoid bad ones (red meat, butter, commercially prepared foods - omega-6 fats and margarine, commercial foods - trans-fats) EXAMPLES: Ornish, Pritkin THE CASE FOR LOW FAT BY ORNISH: "Here's how you lose weight: burn more calories. Eat fewer calories." A high-protein diet can reduce blood flow to the heart. Just eat fewer simple carbohydrates and less fat.

2. Low carb pros and cons - Taste buds are satisfied by rich sumptuous foods, which doesn't prevent losing weight (for a while), but high protein favors forming kidney stones)EXAMPLES: Atkins, Sugar-Busters, Zone

There are three phases to the Atkins program, first limit carbohydrates. During phase two, keep carbs low til you reach the weight you want. During phase three, limit carbs enough to control weight. In Atkin's experience, it is not harmful to bones or kidneys.

3. Finding the balance - LOW CAL pros and cons - Doesn't require supplements to get nutritious meals, however, you have to pay attention to what and how much you eat. EXAMPLES: Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers

Glycemic load, the amount of sugar a food releases into the bloodstream, can be used to control our hunger. Broccoli and peanuts have a low load, rice and potatoes have a high one. Avoiding sugar-laden foods is a good first step to weight loss and hunger control. Choosing small portions with whole grains is a good second step. The trick is to change your environment from one with an abundance of fattening foods to one of modest goodness.

Taubes wrote a story for the New York Times Magazine that landed him a $700,000 book contract in a story that launched Atkin's Diet success. He omitted any reference to hundreds of refereed scientific studies published over 30 years that contradicted his position. This article is typical of the sad state of scientific and medical reporting, not to mention the diet industry. They "routinely pander to people's worst impulses." "…the evidence against Atkins-like low-carbohydrate diets is crushing."

An article in 2002 by the Journal of the American Dietetic Assoc. reviewed all legitimate studies on diet and weight loss. It found "Those who ate the least fat carried the least fat." But caloric consumption has skyrocketed. The recommended caloric intake is 2000 per day, but in the US it has climbed from 3,300 in 1970-79 to 3,900 in 1997. The average person eats double what is required.

What about Atkin's explanations of the science supporting his diet? "each explanation…collapses under the weight of published research he ignores."

The article discusses a June 4, 1973 issue of JAMA that is extremely critical of the Atkin's diet.

B. Metabolic Effects of High-Protein, Low-Carbohydrate Diets, Margo Denke, Am. J. of Cardiology [PUBLISHED IN A PEER-REVIEWED MEDICAL JOURNAL]

In traditional weight-loss diets, one loses 1-2 lbs. Per week. Through discipline and perseverance, one healthy eating style is learned. Some diets promise that you can eat all you want and lose weight, and there may be a bit of truth in this. High-protein intake suppresses appetite for a few people. Ketosis for not eating carbs makes some less hungry. By just avoiding carbs, many on Atkin's diet eat 500 fewer calories per day.

However, the initially great weight loss from Atkin's diet comes from water loss. This drops your weight by 4-7 lbs the first week. Each gram of glycogen lost carries off two grams of water. "Patients notice this change as a reduction in symptoms of 'bloating' and are very pleased with the effect." Also, ketosis affects the kidneys, increasing sodium and water loss through the kidneys. Comparing two 800-calorie diets, one low carb and the other not, the low carb diet lost almost 4 lbs. More the first week - all water.

MEDICAL PROBLEMS WITH ATKIN'S

Children have higher rates of dehydration, constipation, and kidney stones. These diets in children cause reduced intake of calcium, magnesium, and iron. In adults, LDL levels increased from 127 to 151 mg/dl. Plasma free fatty acid levels increase, which may have adverse effects on heart muscle. High protein load leads to kidney stones. It leads to higher acid levels, which leads to calcium loss from bones. It could hasten renal failure. Ketogenic diets impair higher order cognitive function - it makes it harder to think clearly and realize the dangers of the diet. "High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets are not superior weight-losing diets and should not be recommended."

(The article ends with 30 journal citations.)

LOW CARB DIET POST-MENOPAUSE AIDS HEART: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/80/5/1175

In postmenopausal women with relatively low total fat intake, a greater saturated fat intake is associated with less progression of coronary atherosclerosis, whereas carbohydrate intake is associated with a greater progression

...the odds of cortical opacities among women in the highest tertile of carbohydrate intake (200 g/d) was 2.46 times that among women in the lowest tertile...Conclusions: These data suggest that carbohydrate quantity, but not carbohydrate quality, is associated with early cortical opacities, and that neither the quantity nor the quality of dietary carbohydrate affects the risk of nuclear opacities in middle-aged women.

From Science News, Feb. 2003, D. Christensen - Dietary Dilemmas "One reason that nutritionists had though that people would lose more weight on a low-fat diet…was that traditionally low-fat foods have been bulkier and higher in fiber…Over the past decade, the food industry's introduction of many low-fat choices has altered [this]."

High carbohydrate consumption leads to insulin resistance and diabetes.

A diet higher in fat and protein reduces carbohydrate-induced insulin spikes. Those spikes make you feel hungry after eating sweetened foods.

However, uric acid from Atkin's diet causes calcium loss, eventually osteoporosis.

But over six months in one study, the Atkins group lost 31 pounds vs. the low-fat group. In another study, women who kept carbs below 10% of their intake lost 18.7 lbs. Vs. calorie counters restricted to 1,500 calories who lost 10.6 pounds. In a trial where calories were the same but one group restricted protein and the other restricted carbs, both groups lost 18 lbs., but the low carb group lost more fat and less muscle.