"Steven C. \(Doktersteve\)" wrote
in 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.

Yes, you can eat all the bacon and eggs you want, but you're encouraged to
get plenty of veggies and take in as much of the fat as possible
monounsaturated.


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.

Sheesh. During induction, Atkins' followers limit their carbs to 20 grams
*per day*, not 20 for the whole two weeks. That may be what the writer
intended to say, but it's certainly not what he actually said.

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.

Well, duh! That's written as though it's some sort of trick. That's what
Atkins pointed out when he started this diet - that eating fat made you
feel fuller and so you took in less calories.


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.

True. But this WOE involves exercise as well, and that builds bone. It
also involves drinking plenty of water, which will prevent kidney stones.
You don't get constipated if you eat your veggies, and keto-breath can be
handled by reducing your protein intake.


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.

For me, cholesterol levels not only improved, they left my doctor
speechless. No more talk of a pill for cholesterol.

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.

No, but it really helps people like me, who never met a carb she didn't
like. If I eat *one* starchy food, I need more. Lots more. As long as
I'm low carbing, I just don't crave sugars and starches.

Okay, well, chocolate (particularly a warm Milky Way) but chocolate is
really more of a health food, anyway. :-)

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.

How interesting that they omitted how many of the low-fat dieters dropped
out and how much they had lost after a year.

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.

No kidding. And if I could have done that, I wouldn't have dieted myself
up to 300 pounds.


There's really nothing new in this, IMO. It's just the medical
establishment singing their same old tired song.

dismounting soapbox

Chakolate

--

When a thing has been said and well, have no scruple. Take it and copy it.
--Anatole France