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

As the obsession with losing weight continues, many an(prenominal) a(prenominal) people are turning to low-carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins diet. With total keep back sales over 45 million, many doctors are starting to contract questions about the safety of a high fat, high protein diet. There withstand been many short-term studies reporting that a low-carbohydrate diet can be potent for weight loss. Unfortunately, most studies have been based on entropy collected for 90 days or less. Dieters and Doctors alike could benefit from massive-run studies reporting on safety and weight loss by and by a year or more(prenominal). 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(prenominal) compared to the standard low-fat diet, which has been recommended by doctors for years. From the results of these st udies we must decide if weight loss equals wellness and what should be considered acceptable risk? Weight loss was the primary centering of most of the studies done on the Atkins diet. Dieters are looking for results and a accrue 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 comparable time spent on a low-fat diet. On average low-carbohydrate dieters illogical 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 a(prenominal) people are only on the diet for a hardly a(prenominal) 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 residuum in weight loss between the low-fat and the low-carbohydrate groups. Although result happened quickly, in the long run the Atkins diet di dnt 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 demand to be done before we can reach a univocal 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