The Long-term Safety and Effectiveness of Low-Carbohydrate Diets :: Health Nutrition Diet Exercise Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the obsession with "losing weight" continues, many people are turning to low-carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins diet. With total book sales over 45 million, many doctors are starting to ask questions about the safety of a high fat, high protein diet. There have been many short-term studies reporting that a low-carbohydrate diet can be effective for weight loss. Unfortunately, most studies have been based on data collected for 90 days or less. Dieters and Doctors alike could benefit from long-term studies reporting on safety and weight loss after a year or more. In 2003, there were three trials reporting on the long-term effectiveness and side effects of the Atkins diet. These studies followed obese dieters who were following the Atkins low-carbohydrate diet. The results were then compared to the standard low-fat diet, which has been recommended by doctors for years. From the results of these studies we must decide if weight loss equals health and what should be considered acceptable risk?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Weight loss was the primary focus of most of the studies done on the Atkins diet. Dieters are looking for results and a decrease in weight, not necessarily fat, is the ultimate goal. All three studies showed greater weight loss after six months of a low-carbohydrate diet than the same time spent on a low-fat diet. On average low-carbohydrate dieters lost about 4kgs, or roughly 9lbs, more than the low-fat dieters. This is one reason why the Atkins diet has become so popular; dieters see results more quickly. Many people are only on the diet for a few months and then go back to eating normally. For those that stick with it, it was found that after twelve months there was no longer a significant difference in weight loss between the low-fat and the low-carbohydrate groups. Although result happened quickly, in the long run the Atkins diet didn’t prove to be any more effective at weight loss than the low-fat diet. Studies of more than a year are nearly non-existent and the studies referred to here contain flaws. More research needs to be done before we can reach a definitive answer. At the moment, it seems that for the first 3-6 months the Atkins diet may be more effective than a low-fat diet. In the long term however there is no indication that a low-carbohydrate diet is better. For both diets, participants had trouble following the guidelines and many