PubMed · 15242237
Is Atkins dead (again)?
Abstract
Despite consistent epidemiological evidence that weight gain is linked to higher fat and lower carbohydrate consumption, supported by animal evidence and the inescapable truth that fat supplies 9 kcal/g compared to 3.75 kcal/g from carbohydrates, low-carbohydrate "Atkins" style diets are heavily promoted for obesity control. The randomised controlled trial evidence is very small. The totality of the evidence continues to show that low-carbohydrate diets are marginally disadvantageous for long-term health and for weight maintenance. People can lose weight equally well on low-carbohydrate ("Atkins-style") diets, and some groups of obese patients tend to lose a little more than on high-carbohydrate groups. This small difference (1-2 kg) may be explained by rapid loss of (glycogen-associated) body water, or by the influence of extraordinary media coverage leading to elevation of expectation and compliance with low-carbohydrate diets in the short term.
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M E J Lean, J Lara. 2004. Is Atkins dead (again)?. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0939-4753(04)80011-5
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