Atkins diet vs. Low fat dietLow-carb regimen no better than low-fat after a year Thousands go on the Atkins diet because they think it is a way to lose weight quickly and eat lots of the foods they love. Even physicians have been attracted to the diet. Dr. Linda Stern of the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Hospital liked it so much she decided to study it. But does the weight stay off? Stern experimented with 132 obese patients — half went on the Atkins plan, while half ate a standard low fat diet. The results: After six months, the low-carbohydrate group lost significantly more weight than the group following the low-fat diet. And that findings, along with several similar studies, made big news — especially because cholesterol and other risk factors for heart disease actually improved on the Atkins plan. While the Atkins plan worked better for the first six months, after a year, the weight of the two groups became almost the same. Other studies are reaching the same conclusion.
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