Posted on 09/05/2009 5:10:07 PM PDT by neverdem
BOSTON — Proponents of the Atkins low-carbohydrate/high saturated fat diet say that you can have your steak and eat it, too, and still lose weight.
But the adverse metabolic consequences are too heavy a price to pay, Australian investigators reported at a symposium sponsored by the International Atherosclerosis Society.
After 1 year, overweight and obese patients randomly assigned to the Atkins diet or to a low-saturated-fat, high-carbohydrate diet lost similar amounts of weight. But patients on the Atkins diet had a deterioration in flow-mediated arterial dilatation, a marker for cardiovascular disease, and higher levels of LDL cholesterol than at baseline, reported Dr. Peter Clifton of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Adelaide, South Australia.
“What I really want to know is, does the early elevation of HDL, which has been shown convincingly [with the Atkins diet], and lowering of triglycerides plus the lowering of blood pressure and glucose, outweigh the rise in LDL cholesterol that you see in some individuals in some studies?” said Dr. Clifton.
He and colleagues analyzed the effects of two diets on flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), a measurement of the ability of blood vessels to dilate in response to increases in blood flow. FMD is reduced in both cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but whether it improves with significant weight loss is unclear; if so, it might be related to either decreases in glucose or in LDL, Dr. Clifton said.
The study's aim was to evaluate the effects on markers of endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease risk of a very-low-carbohydrate/high-saturated-fat diet, and an isocaloric high-carbohydrate/low-saturated-fat diet.
The outcomes were FMD and markers of endothelial dysfunction, including cellular adhesion molecules, inhibitors and promoters of fibrinolysis, adiponectin, glucose, insulin, C-reactive protein (CRP), lipids, and apolipoprotein B.
The study involved 70 men and women aged 16-60 years with body mass index between 27 and 40 kg/m2, and markers for the presence of the metabolic syndrome.
After 1 year, the 33 patients on the Atkins diet lost slightly more weight on average (14.5 kg), than did the 36 patients on the low-fat diet (11.5 kg), but this difference was not significant.
There was no diet-specific effect on blood pressure, glucose, insulin or CRP, but the Atkins diet was superior to the low-fat diet at decreasing triglycerides and increasing HDL. The Atkins diet also was associated with increases in LDL levels.
Overall, 49 patients (26 on the Atkins diet, 23 on the low-fat diet) underwent FMD assessment. Endothelial function decreased by almost half from baseline among patients in the Atkins diet, compared with no change among patients on the low-fat diet. “Overall, FMD deteriorated after 12 months on a high-saturated-fat Atkins diet, despite their fantastic weight loss and improvement in all those other things,” Dr. Clifton said. “Solely because the LDL increased, it outweighed all the other measures of weight loss. The other measures of endothelial function that we took actually improved except ICAM-1 on the Atkins diet, so there seems to be a separation of endothelial functions as expressed by nitric oxide and these other endothelial markers.
“This really calls into question that fantastic elevation of HDL [with the Atkins diet] as being a good thing or having anything much to do with cardiovascular health,” he added.
Dr. Clifton disclosed that he has coauthored diet books, but they do not include the information he presented.
The meat-heavy Atkins diet increased both HDL and LDL cholesterol.
Gosh, who could have ever predicted or even imagined that a "diet" consisting mainly of meat, eggs, and full-fat dairy products could have adverse effects on the arteries.
Woody Allen was right in Sleeper.
‘They didn’t realize that the healthiest foods include steak, cream pies, and hot fudge. Tobacco is also vindicated.’
20 - 25% difference in the weight loss! It may amount to less than 7 pounds, but if the stats were on the other side, I'm sure they would be touting the **huge** statistical difference.
I am not super smart on this, but I’ve read Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes, which is very, very convincing about the mechanisms of obesity, weight loss, and carbohydrate metabolism.
I may be off a little, but what I have gotten out of that is that high carbohydrate intake drives insulin levels up which deposits fat into fat cells. Low carbohydrate intake keeps insulin levels low, and fat is mobilized out of fat cells as fuel. Chronically high carbohydrate intake will make you fat. Chronically low carbohydrate intake will make you lose weight. This why on an Atkins diet weight can be lost even at high caloric intake and satiety, while weight is often not lost or even is gained on diets which are lower in calories but higher in carbohydrates and on which people are hungry all the time.
This is not necessarily inconsistent with what you said.
induction, See hereThe Atkins diet consists of four phases:
ongoing weight loss,
pre-maintenance and
lifetime maintenance
I tried it once, years ago. Lost weight fast, but had no energy. It wasn’t worth it.
I really like butter...
But...
Eewww...
I highly recommend anyone trying an Atkin’s tyle diet read a book called “Protein Power” by Drs. Eades and Eades. It will give you an incredibly clear explanation of why and How the Low carb diet works on a metabolic level, including its manipulation of micro-hormones known as eicosaniods, and how to deal with the problem of increased arachidonic acid (found in red meat) how it likely is causing the effect described in this study, and how to easily replace it with healthier Alpha-lionlenic acid (through a marinade of all things)
Properly done, the Low Carb diet will likely cause you not only to lose weight (personally I lost 100lbs in less than six months and about 80 of it in three months) but it will decrease your blood pressure chemically (mine went from my natural 180/100 to 135/80-the same effect I got with a daily three drug cocktail of Diovan 160, Hctz 25, and Toporol 50) Increase your HDL and and lower Your LDL (by turning on a switch that causes your body to scour cholesterol from your blood stream rather than manufacturing it cellularly) and Opening up your airways (after two weeks on the diet I was able to double the length and intensity of my daily aerobic exercise—my father was able to go from daily use of an asthma inhaler to once a week or less)
Bottom line is this: The Low carb diet works spectacularly, and the Modern medical establishment’s stupid focus on low-fat diets is traceable to a poltical campaign by one crusading senator with no formal medical training in the 1970’s (name escapes me right now) NOT science.
Bingo!!
EAT LESS AND EXERCISE.
I had the impression that was at least part of it. I'm wondering if it is too low carb, then maybe your body goes into gluconeogenesis, i.e. making more glucose.
Your brain only works on glucose, IIRC. It may send signals, basically feed me, that we don't have any clues about yet, that control the plasma glucose concentration.
“I’m beginning to believe the ONLY way to lose weight is with the lap band or gastric bypass surgery.
EVERY time I run into someone who’s lost weight that’s how they did it...”
You obviously don’t meet people that get significant aerobic exercize, watch calories, etc.
IOW your contacts want an solution for their inability to control their behaior.
Exercize is one of the keys to a healthy lifestyle.
Yoo hoo - -over here.
Anyone who is facing kidney failure from diabetes cannot use the Atkins diet. The by-products of protein metabolism (such as ammonia), which are produced by the liver, will overload and finish off the kidneys.
I lost 40 lbs on Atkins. It stays off as long as I stick to it. The diet does not consist of eating as much meat, eggs and fully-fat dairy products as you like. I had never eaten as many vegetables before I started Atkins. If you do it correctly, the meat and dairy products are portion controlled. When I'm sticking to it, I have more energy than when I fall back into my carb addiction ways of eating.
Indeed it's not. And what you say is the "theory". I lost about 40-50 lbs, needing to lose 100 more, and stabilized. Lately I've gone off the wagon and gained back 10-20 lbs. You get really, really hungry for bread. :(.
I lost over 20 lbs this year. For every ten days, I spend 4 days doing anaerobic exercise and 4 days using an eliptical.
I’m curious to know what the B-12 injections do to help lose weight. Are they administered by a doc or do you do them yourself? Thanks for the info.
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