Atkins Bests Higher-Carbohydrate Diets in Year-Long Trial

In the short term, women can lose at least as much weight on the Atkins diet as on three higher-carbohydrate diets (LEARN, Ornish, and Zone), without increasing cardiovascular risks, a randomized trial in JAMA suggests.

The study included roughly 300 premenopausal, nondiabetic women, aged 25 to 50, who were obese or overweight. Women lost more weight over 1 year using the Atkins diet (mean, 4.7 kg) than they did using the other three diets (mean, 1.6 kg to 2.6 kg). The difference in weight loss was significant only between the Atkins diet and the Zone diet. Changes in HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and mean blood pressure significantly favored Atkins over the other three diets.

Having observed that the weight loss achieved in all four groups was modest, the authors conclude: "Concerns about adverse metabolic effects of the Atkins diet were not substantiated within the 12-month study period."