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People following the high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate Atkins diet lost more weight and lowered triglyceride levels further than people following a standard low-fat diet, according to two studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
The research suggests that carbohydrates do cause weight gain, however researchers are uncertain whether the weight loss will hold up over time.
In one six-month study, 132 men and women started out weighing an average of 286 pounds. Those following the Atkins diet lost 13 pounds versus four pounds for those on a low-fat diet.
The second study, which lasted one-year, involved 63 participants who weighted an average of 217 pounds at the start. After six months, the Atkins group lost 15 pounds while the low-fat group lost 7. However, at the end of a year, participants on the Atkins diet had regained about one-third of their weight, and low-fat dieters had regained about one-fifth of their weight.
According to researchers, the difference in weight loss after one year was not large enough to tell whether it was caused by the diets.
In both studies, those following the Atkins regimen typically had higher levels of "good cholesterol" and lower levels of triglycerides, or fats in the blood, than those on the low-fat diet.
The researchers of both studies suggested that further studies are needed to determine whether the beneficial effects of the Atkins diet outweigh those of low-fat diets, which are known to reduce the risk of heart disease.
The New England Journal of Medicine May 22, 2003;348:2082-2090
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