2010-08-03 06:04:47
By STEPHANIE NANO, Associated Press Writer Stephanie Nano, Associated Press
Writer Mon Aug 2, 7:16 pm ET
NEW YORK Over the long term, a low-carb diet works just as well as a low-fat
diet at taking off the pounds and it might be better for your heart, new
research suggests.
Both diets improved cholesterol in a two-year study that included intensive
group counseling. But those on the low-carbohydrate diet got a bigger boost in
their so-called good cholesterol, nearly twice as much as those on low-fat.
In previous studies, low-carb diets have done better at weight loss at six
months, but longer-term results have been mixed. And there's been a suggestion
of better cholesterol from low-carb eating.
The latest test is one of the longest to compare the approaches. At the end of
two years, average weight loss was the same for both about 15 pounds or 7
percent.
The key difference was in HDL, or good cholesterol: a 23 percent increase from
low-carb dieting compared to a 12 percent improvement from low-fat, said Gary
Foster, director of Temple University's Center for Obesity Research and
Education, who led the federally funded study.
He said the low-carb boost is the kind one might get from medicines that
improve HDL.
"For a diet, that's pretty impressive," Foster said.
The findings, published in Tuesday's Annals of Internal Medicine, are based on
a study of 307 adults, two-thirds of them women. Participants were obese but
didn't have cholesterol problems or diabetes.
Half followed a low-carb diet modeled after the Atkins' plan and half went on a
low-calorie, low-fat diet. All attended group sessions to help them change bad
eating habits, get more active and stick to their diets.
The volunteers had periodic checks of their weight, blood, bone density and
body composition. After two years, there was no major differences between diet
groups, except in good cholesterol. Why the low-carb diet had a bigger effect
on good cholesterol isn't known, the researchers said.
As low-carb plans became popular, experts feared the diet would drive up the
risk of heart disease because it allows more fat. The latest results suggest
those concerns are unfounded, Foster said. In the low-carb group, there was an
early rise in "bad" cholesterol, the kind that builds up in arteries. But after
two years, both groups ended up with similar improvements to bad cholesterol.
The study's strengths include its size, length and its multiple locations
Denver, Philadelphia and St. Louis, said Dr. William Yancy, of the Durham VA
Medical Center in North Carolina.
"These are results we should have a lot of confidence in," said Yancy, who has
done similar diet research but was not involved in the study.
Foster, the study leader, said dieters should be less concerned about which
diet to use, and focus on finding the support or technique like writing down
what they eat that keeps them on track.
"It doesn't make a difference for weight loss how you get there," he said.
With the current obesity epidemic, more than one way is needed to attack the
problem, Yancy said.
"Both of these are options. These diets work," he said.