Success for Dr. Atkins

You may have heard how the Atkins diet succeeded in two “controlled” trials, as reported last month in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). An HSI member named Adam heard, and sent these comments:

“It is a shame that the results of the study shows no weight change after a year. There are too many drop outs for the statistics to be non biased. Would like to see your comments.”

While the results of these studies had their drawbacks, the details are not as negative as Adam seems to think.

Both studies (from the University of Pennsylvania) compared the Atkins high-protein diet to a high-carbohydrate/low-fat diet in obese subjects. In both trials (one lasted 6 months, and the other a year) the Atkins groups lost more weight than the high-carb groups. In the year-long study, participants of both groups gained back some of their initial weight loss. The authors of the study called the differences between the final net weight losses of the two groups “statistically insignificant.” And that’s true. But in the end, the Atkins group lost more than the high-carb group.

This may not sound like a resounding success, but it’s a success just the same. Because until just recently very few mainstream nutrition or dietary experts would have ever imagined that in a one-year controlled trial a high-protein diet could succeed over a low-fat diet. “Low fat equals good health” has been the mainstream mantra for more than 20 years, but with these studies and others, that mantra is being challenged like never before.

And while it’s true that there were dropouts in each of the groups in both studies (as there are in virtually all long-term dietary trials – especially with obese subjects), the dropouts were not so many that the test results were invalidated.

Beyond the fact that the Atkins diet clearly bested the high-carb diet, these equally important results stand out as well: In the one-year trial, the Atkins group had a significantly greater increase in HDL cholesterol, and their triglyceride levels decreased more than in the high-carb group. Similar results occurred in the 6-month trial, with the Atkins group showing greater triglyceride reduction and increased insulin sensitivity compared to the other group.

I think we’re so used to seeing wild claims on TV ads (“I lost 50 pound in two days!”) that the results of a controlled, year-long trial like this may not seem impressive. In fact, these are very important mainstream successes for a diet that was almost universally dismissed by the nutritional establishment for 30 years.

Somewhere Dr. Atkins is smiling.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute

Sources:
“A Randomized Trial of a Low-Carbohydrate Diet for Obesity” New England Journal of Medicine, 348:2082-2090, No. 21, 5/22/03, content.nejm.org
“Atkins Diet Bolstered by Two New Studies” Janet McConnaughey, Associated Press, 5/21/02
“Atkin’s Gains Upper Hand in ‘Controlled’ Trial” NaturalIngredients.com, 5/22/03, naturalingredients.com