Effects of a 6 Month Adherence to a Very Low
Carbohydrate Diet Program
by Atkins-Facts
A
team of researchers at Duke University Medical Center has conducted an
ongoing weight-loss study that entailed monitoring 50 subjects who were
following the Atkins Nutritional ApproachTM.
The individuals were monitored throughout the initial six-month period,
with data that included results of laboratory tests, weight/waist
measurements, diet composition, symptoms and side effects. The results,
published in the peer-review American Journal of Medicine,
suggest that the ANA is not only effective in weight loss and
management, but manifests significant improvement in a number of
cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Key points:
- The
overweight or obese healthy volunteers who wanted to lose weight were
placed on a very low-carbohydrate diet (less than 25g/day of
carbohydrates), including nutritional supplementation, recommendations
about exercise, and attendance at group meetings to determine the
effect of a very low-carbohydrate diet program with no limit on caloric
intake.
- Forty-one individuals or 80 percent followed
the nutrition regimen for the duration of the study.
- The
regimen led to sustained weight loss during the six-month period. Body
weight decreased significantly by 10.3 percent (or an average of almost
20 pounds) from the beginning to the end of the study. Body mass index
decreased by 3.2 kg/m2. Average percentage of
body fat significantly decreased by 2.9 percent.
- Total
cholesterol level decreased by 11mg/dL; low-density lipoprotein
cholesterol level decreased significantly by 10 mg/dL; triglyceride
level decreased with a high level of significance by 56 mg/dL;
high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level increased
significantly by 10 mg/dL; and the cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio
was also significantly decreased by 0.9 units.
- There were no serious adverse effects. Further
controlled research is warranted.
In
addition to the ongoing weight-loss study, Duke researchers also
performed a two-armed, randomized controlled trial to study 120 obese
hyperlipidemic adults. The study compared the controlled carbohydrate
Atkins Nutritional ApproachTM to the American
Heart Association (AHA) Step I diet advocated by many health
professionals for cardiovascular health. In each arm of the study, 60
subjects were monitored for clinical values, side effects, body
composition and bone-mineral density. Food records provided measures of
caloric intake as well as carbohydrate, protein and fat intake. This
comparative study demonstrated that subjects on a controlled
carbohydrate eating program lost both more weight and more body fat
than subjects following a low-fat diet. In addition, those
subjects
controlling their carbohydrate intake showed a decrease in
triglycerides and total cholesterol as well as an increase in HDL
(“good”)cholesterol levels. The full results of this research,
including some groundbreaking data regarding our expanding knowledge on
the role of cholesterol in heart disease, has been submitted for
publication in scientific journals.
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