This is a four diet study. A poster( Quentin Grady - I
don't like to steal) on another group I visit occasionally
made the following graph of the study results. Baseline
is the average value before the diet for the subjects and
the values listed are the percent change at the end of
the study -- so, for instance, for WW, LDL dropped 7.7%,
HDL increased 18.5% and the HDL/LDL ratio increased
by 28%.

LDL HDL HDL/LDL
Baseline 100.0 100.0 1.00
Ornish 83.3 102.2 1.23
Weigh****chers 92.3 118.5 1.28
Zone 93.3 114.6 1.23
Atkins 91.4 115.4 1.26

Lana

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/464193
Four Popular Diets Equally Effective for Weight Loss
Peggy Peck

Nov. 10, 2003 (Orlando) - In a randomized study comparing four popular diets
over the course of a year, all diets demonstrated efficacy for weight loss
and reduction of Framingham risk scores, but only the Atkins, Weight
Watchers, and Zone diets achieved statistically significant reductions in
Framingham scores, according to results presented here at the American Heart
Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions.

"Losing 20 pounds corresponded to about a 30% reduction in heart risk
score," said Michael L. Dansinger, MD, assistant professor of medicine at
Tufts University, New England Medical Center, in Boston, Massachusetts.
Although he explained that at this point "it isn't clear if a 30% reduction
in risk score is the same as a 30% reduction in heart attacks." Dr.
Dansinger presented his results at an AHA press conference.

Patients were evenly assigned to the Atkins (low carbohydrates), Zone
(moderate carbohydrates), Ornish (low-fat vegetarian), or Weight Watchers
(moderate fat) diet and told to follow the diet "to the best of their
ability for two months," he said. Patients were given official diet
cookbooks and assigned to small group classes for diet education. For the
remaining 10 months, the volunteers were told to follow their assigned diet
"to whatever extent they wanted." The study "evaluated only the food
program, not any additional lifestyle modifications such as meditation or
exercise," he said.

Following the diets was not easy, Dr. Dansinger said, noting that the
drop-out rate for each diet was 22% at two months and by 12 months half of
the volunteers assigned to Atkins or Ornish had dropped out, as had 35% of
those assigned to Weight Watchers or Zone diets.

For those who stuck with the diet for 12 months, reductions in weight and
Framingham risk score were 3.9% and 12.3% for Atkins (n=21; 52% completion),
6.2% and 6.6% for Ornish (n=20; 50% completion), 4.5% and 14.7% for Weight
Watchers (n=26; 65% completion), and 4.6% and 10.5% for Zone (n=26; 65%
completion). All diets resulted in significant (P .05) weight loss from
baseline and all but the Ornish diet (P = .013) resulted in significant
reductions in the Framingham risk score, he said.

Dr. Dansinger told Medscape that this does not mean that the "Ornish diet
doesn't reduce heart disease risk. I have great faith in the Ornish diet,
but it did not meet the statistical test in this study."

Dean Ornish, MD, founder and president of the Preventive Medicine Research
Institute in Sausalito, California, was immediately critical of the results.
Dr. Ornish told Medscape that the people assigned to his diet "lost more
weight, had greater reductions in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol,
and were the only dieters to significantly lower insulin - even though the
Atkins and Zone diets claim to be specifically designed to lower insulin."

Dr. Dansinger, who joined Dr. Ornish in fielding questions from reporters,
agreed that the Ornish diet posted impressive results for those who stayed
the course for a year: a 19.9% reduction in insulin levels while the Atkins
diet reduced insulin by 7.7%, Weight Watchers by 8.8%, and the Zone by
16.5%. Likewise, the Ornish diet reduced LDL cholesterol by 16.7%, while the
Atkins diet reduced LDL by 8.6%, followed by Weight Watchers dieters at
7.7%, and Zone dieters achieved a 6.7% drop in LDL cholesterol.

But the heart disease risk score is based on the high-density lipoprotein
(HDL)/LDL ratio, and the "Ornish diet does not increase HDL, while the other
diets do achieve significant increases in HDL," said Dr. Dansinger. Weight
Watchers increased HDL cholesterol by 18.5%, while the Atkins and Zone diets
increased HDL by 15.4% and 14.6%, respectively. But the Ornish diet
increased HDL by just 2.2%.

Dr. Ornish said HDL cholesterol is not really a factor because "HDL is
really like a garbage truck that goes around picking up the garbage, which
is bad cholesterol. When you don't have as much bad cholesterol - garbage -
you don't need as many garbage trucks." He added, "Raising HDL is easy: eat
a stick of butter. That will drive up your HDL, but it's not good for you."

Dr. Dansinger said HDL is a little more complicated. For example, "exercise
increases HDL and we do think that low HDL is a risk factor," he said.

"The good news about this study is that we have demonstrated that all these
diets work. That means that physicians can work with patients to select the
diet that is best suited to the patient. For example, if you have a patient
who likes meat, it is unlikely that he or she will comply with the Ornish
diet," said Dr. Dansinger.

"In the short run, I think weight loss trumps everything," said Robert H.
Eckel, MD, chair of the American Heart Association's Nutrition, Physical
Activity, and Metabolism Council and professor of medicine at the University
of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. "If you lose weight, it
doesn't matter how you lose it. But in the long run we don't know the effect
of the macronutrients that you are eating." Dr. Eckel was not involved in
the study.

The study was funded by a National Institutes of Health grant, the Tufts-New
England Medical Center, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrition
Research Center at Tufts.

AHA 2003 Scientific Sessions: Abstract 3535. Presented Nov. 12, 2003.

Reviewed by Gary D. Vogin, MD



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"Steven C. (Doktersteve)" wrote in
message news:Fiexb.501120$6C4.110756@pd7tw1no...
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/...s.asp?id=26538

If you're one of the many college students trying to shed a few pounds,
you
might be thinking about going on a diet.

Maybe you're fighting the freshman 15 or you just want to turn a few heads
at Venice Beach. Whatever your reason, you've probably heard of the Atkins
diet - the low-carbohydrate, high-protein and high-fat diet created by
cardiologist Robert Atkins 30 years ago.

The regimen instructs dieters to throw the low-fat adages out with all
their
breads and pastas, and encourages people to eat as much bacon and eggs as
they wish.

During the first two weeks dieters eat no more than 20g of carbs -
equivalent to a single slice of bread or a serving of corn. Later, the
carb
level is increased slightly until weight loss stops. There are no limits
on
protein or fat.

Surprisingly, recent studies show that the Atkins diet works - at least
for
a while. Although participants eat high-fat meals, they actually lose
weight
more quickly on the Atkins diet than on a low-fat diet.

But is it really possible to eat fatty foods and be thinner?

In April, the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at all
the
studies available and found people lost weight on the diet because they
ate
fewer calories altogether even though more of their calories came from
fat.
Protein is more filling than carbohydrates, which probably helps people on
the Atkins diet feel less hungry.

But before you rush out for 4x4 cheeseburgers at In-N-Out, you should know
there are some definite drawbacks. Eating less fruit and whole grains
means
missing out on cancer-fighting benefits of anti-oxidants and fiber.

Eating lots of protein can decrease the amount of calcium in your bones,
increasing your risk for osteoporosis later in life. Calcium loss is even
more of a concern while you're in college because you gain most of your
bone
mass before you reach 30. Increased levels of fat and protein are also
linked to kidney stones and kidney problems. Other minor problems include
constipation and bad breath.

Physicians are most concerned about the high amount of saturated fat in
the
diet. Saturated fat, which is especially high in red meat and dairy
products, contributes to heart attacks and other heart diseases. However,
a
study in the May New England Journal of Medicine shows the effects of the
diet on the heart may not be so bad.

Even though more of their calories come from fat, Atkins dieters eat
slightly less fat overall than they do regularly, and cholesterol levels
actually improved more in individuals on the Atkins diet than in those on
a
traditional low-fat regimen.

If you want to try a low-carb diet, a healthier version may involve
getting
most of protein from chicken, fish, and nuts, which contain less saturated
fat. Keep in mind, though, that the Atkins diet, like all diets, is not
great at helping you lose weight or stay healthy in the long-term.

After one year, the New England Journal study found the average amount of
weight loss on the Atkins diet was small, only about 4.5 percent after a
year. By then, four out of 10 of those on the Atkins diet had dropped it,
and those still on the low-carb diet actually gained back about half the
weight they lost.

Diets are short-term and, unfortunately, so is the weight loss associated
with them. The best way to really make a long-term impact on your health
is
to incorporate small changes in diet along with an exercise plan that
you're
comfortable with.

Check out the Student Nutrition Action Committee
(www.studenthealth.ucla.edu/snac) at the Ashe Center for nutritional tips
and body image and fitness workshops.