Atkins Beats Other Diets, But Not By Much

Stanford Study Finds Women Lost Weight Early, Then Weren't Strictly Following Plans

(CBS/AP)  The low-carb, high-fat Atkins diet gets high marks in one of the biggest, longest head-to-head studies of popular weight-loss plans, beating the Zone, the Ornish diet and even U.S. guidelines.

Even so, critics say the results show how hard it is to lose weight and keep it off.

"Early on, at eight weeks, they did fairly good jobs of following these four very different diets, but after 12 months, you could tell that these women had not followed the diets to the letter, and a lot of them had gone off them completely," Stanford University researcher Christopher Gardner, the lead author, told CBS Radio News.

"We actually weren't testing the diets as prescribed, we were testing the diets as people go out and buy the books and follow them on their own," he said.

Overweight women on the Atkins plan lost more weight over a year than those on the low-carb Zone diet. And they had slightly better blood pressure and cholesterol readings than those on the Zone; the very low-fat, high-carb Ornish diet, and a low-fat, high-carb diet similar to U.S. government guidelines.

Gardner said the study shows that Atkins may be more healthful than critics contend.

"This isn't necessarily a vindication of the Atkins diet, but I believe there's something inherent in the low-carbohydrate message that might be helpful for us to move in that direction," Gardner told CBS News' Tom Ryan. "I think the low-fat message that we tried for a long time back-fired on us. It was overly simplistic."

Proponents of other diets were critical of the findings.

The study "had a good concept and incredibly pathetic execution," said Zone diet creator Barry Sears.

"It's a lot easier to follow a diet that tells you to eat bacon and brie than to eat predominantly fruits and vegetables," said Dr. Dean Ornish, creator of the Ornish diet.

Atkins followers lost about 10 pounds on average at 12 months, versus 3.5 pounds for the Zone dieters.

Women on the Ornish diet lost almost 5 pounds on average and those on the national guidelines plan lost almost 6 pounds. Scientifically, those 12-month results weren't different enough from the Atkins weight loss to rule out the possibility the differences occurred by chance.

The dieters lost the most weight early on, including an average of 13 pounds for the Atkins group at six months — nearly double the closest competitor, the national guidelines diet. After that, most began regaining weight, a trend most noticeable in the Atkins women.

With an average starting weight of about 189 pounds, even losing 13 pounds meant many women remained overweight.

"There's not a ton of weight loss here," Gardner acknowledged. Atkins "isn't the solution for the obesity problem," he said.

The study involved 311 women about 40 years old on average and was designed to measure the effectiveness of using a diet book to lose weight. Women were randomly assigned to read one of four diet books. They attended weekly classes for eight weeks where diet questions were addressed, but then were mostly on their own for the next 10 months.

At the end, Atkins women had slightly higher levels of HDL cholesterol, the good kind, and slightly lower blood pressure than those on the other three diets. Gardner said differences in weight loss likely contributed to those results.

Ornish and other naysayers argued that the study doesn't answer a big question about the Atkins diet — whether consistently eating all that fatty food long-term leads to health problems.

The study appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

The authors said it's uncertain whether the results would apply to men or older women since none were studied.

The study "shows that nothing works very well," said Yale University food policy researcher Kelly Brownell. His book promoting diet and lifestyle changes similar to national guidelines was used in the study.

"To me, it just screams out for the need to prevent obesity," Brownell said.

The results echo a Harvard study published last year involving thousands of women, which also suggested that a low-carb high-fat diet might be more heart-healthy than previously thought, although it relied on women's memories of what they had eaten over two decades.

Also, those who ate fat and carbs from vegetables rather than animal sources had lower heart disease risks in the Harvard study.

Dr. David Katz of the Yale Prevention Research Center and author of several weight control books, said the new study presents little new information and called it "much ado about nothing."

Nurse Jackie Eberstein, whose consulting company promotes the Atkins diet, said the results are not surprising. Protein makes people feel less hungry and fat helps them feel more full, which makes weight loss easier on Atkins, she said.

Study participant Viola Manges, who does administrative work at Stanford, was assigned to the Atkins group.

Manges, 41, said the diet taught her to make healthier food choices, like eating steamed vegetables instead of mashed potatoes, even if she didn't always follow it strictly.

"I realized I had a bunch of willpower I didn't even know I had," Manges said.

Manges lost roughly 23 pounds, slimming down to a size 6 by the study's end about a year ago. She has regained about 10 to 15 pounds, but said she still tries to follow some of the Atkins recommendations.

The study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and from the Community Foundation of Southeastern Michigan.

[terrapin78]

If you go back on to a high carb diet after meeting your weight loss goals, YOU WILL gain it back.

It is a life altering experience if you want to keep the weight off.

[terrapin78]

I have done Atkins and it is the only diet that I have lost weight on. Often time, people have not read the book which is the guide on how to do the diet so they will not have the results that the diet can provide.

Also, I cringe every time I hear anything in the media about the diet as they don't know and have not read the book in order to understand it.

[random_radar]

I did the Atkins diet three times. I progressively lost 15 pounds, 20 pounds, and 40 pounds. I also exercised like Atkins admonishes. I can honestly say I was in great shape while it lasted.

Unfortunately, like most people I went back to my old habits and gained it all back each time. There is a reason we get fat, and unless we change behavior, we will go back to what we were.

But I am going to get on the bandwagon again. Being thin felt good and I miss it.

[kimec4-2009]

I think any diet will work as long as you stick to it and realize that when you reach your goal weight, you don't go back to the old ways. Over the years I did Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, Diet Center, Atkins, and South Beach...and even that cabbage soup one (ick!) And I was always successful, until I got to where I wanted to be, then I would go right back to eating what I wanted-and always gained more than I had lost. But once I realized it was a lifestyle change, I have been able to keep it off. Now that doesn't mean if I want a cheeseburger I don't eat it....but I go right back to doing what I have to do, and thats to watch it.

[luvny-2009]

Is it better than Weight Watchers????

[sy2502]

I always found quite easy to understand why Atkins works so well.
- You are cutting all the sugary baked goods (doughnuts, pastries, cakes, etc)
- You are cutting all the vending machine snacks (candies, candy bars, chips, popcorn)
- You are cutting all the deep fried food because of the batter
- You cut the sugary drinks and sodas.
- The thought of having to eat your burger and hot dog without the bun probably puts you off from eating them altogether.
Why is anyone surprised that people on Atkins lose weight?

[maiingan]

They should be studying the PaleoDiet, with wild game red meats instead of the domesticated beef.

[kimec4-2009]

Moderation, portion control, and exercise are the best ways for me. I have tried every diet over the last 20 years, and I have lost 75 pounds just by watching my fat and calorie intake, and exercising-walking 30 minutes at least 3 days a week. I do watch carbs, but just things like refined sugar and flour. Eat the carbs that your stomach has to work to break down. It's a lifestyle change-not just a diet. And yes, determination is the key.

[crater7]

i lost 67 lbs, on the Atkins diet. I have kept the weight of for over two years. I have more energy, and feel much better since I lost the weight. This diet may not be for everybody, but it works for me. I have found that no diet will work until you convience yourself that you want to loose weight. Without determation, and the will to loose weight, you are waisting your time, no matter what diet you choose to go on.