Studies weigh effects of low carb vs. low fat

By Rosie Mestel
Los Angeles Times

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"We can no longer dismiss very low-carbohydrate diets," said Dr. Walter Willett, a nutritional epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health, in an editorial accompanying the reports on the largest studies of the controversial diet approach to date.

The regimen popularized by Dr. Robert Atkins that is rich in meat, eggs and cheese but bereft of grains, potatoes and fruit is popular but has received little scientific scrutiny. Some doctors have worried such a diet could have unwelcome effects such as elevating cholesterol levels.

The two studies, published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine, tested the low-carbohydrate approach in two groups of adults.

One of the studies, by researchers at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, enrolled 132 severely obese adults with an average weight of 288 pounds. Many of the patients had diabetes or other risk factors for coronary-artery disease.

Roughly half the patients pursued a low-fat diet in which they slashed 500 calories from their diet. The other half limited carbohydrate intake to fewer than 30 grams daily but were not instructed to count calories or fat.

At six months, the low-carbohydrate group had lost about 13 pounds compared with 4 pounds for the low-fat group.

The scientists reported that after one year, individuals on the Atkins-style diet largely kept the weight off but did not continue to lose more weight. The low-fat group slowly lost weight over the year and caught up with the low-carb group.

Total weight loss for both groups over the year was 11 to 19 pounds for the low-carb group and 7 to 19 pounds for the low-fat group.

The study also found that diabetic patients improved control over their blood-sugar levels using the low-carb approach.

The second investigation was funded by the Robert C. Atkins Foundation, although it did not interfere in the study or its analysis. Conducted by scientists at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., it enrolled 120 moderately obese adults with high blood cholesterol.

At six months, low-carb dieters had lost an average of 26 pounds compared with 14 pounds for the low-fat group.

Both studies found that levels of triglycerides — blood fats that are risk factors for heart disease — fell further in the low-carb group. Levels of HDL or "good" cholesterol also appeared to improve more in the low-carb group.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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