for those of you on the Atkins diet.....
on 4/26/09 7:05 am
This is the place I found this article - it's an NIH study which means you and I funded this reasearch LOL http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=625610
This is what was posted:
Atkins Diet Tougher on Heart After Weight Loss
Study found worse cholesterol, blood vessel health than with South Beach, Ornish regimens
By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) -- In the "maintenance" phase that occurs after initial weight loss, the popular Ornish and South Beach diets seem to be easier on the heart than the high-fat, low-carbohydrate Atkins regimen, a new study finds. Unlike numerous studies that have evaluated diets to see which might be better at achieving weight loss, this study, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, looked at what happens to cholesterol levels and other cardiac risk factors when dieters reach their goal weight and remain on the diet. The study involved 18 healthy people, with an average body-mass index (BMI) of 22.6 (18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal weight). Participants completed four weeks each on the Atkins (50 percent fat), South Beach (30 percent fat) and Ornish (10 percent fat) diets, in random order and with a four-week "washout" period between each diet. The study was done from January to December 2006. The switch between diets meant that "each person served as his own control," explained principal investigator Dr. Michael Miller, director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. At the start and after each four-week diet, the researchers evaluated cholesterol levels and other cardiac risk factors. They also looked at three-day food records at the end of each diet phase. And they checked blood vessel functioning by measuring blood vessel dilation in the arm. They found that "as you increase the amount of saturated fat [in the diet], blood vessel dilation is reduced," Miller said. Healthy vessel dilation is important to proper blood flow. "The diet that performed the worst [on the blood vessel test] was the Atkins diet," Miller said. "It contains more saturated fat." Participants ate about 30 grams of saturated fat a day while on the Atkins diet, compared to about 14 grams on South Beach and about 3 grams while on Ornish. "We like to say saturated fat should be below 7 percent of total calories," Miller said. "So, if your caloric intake is 2,000, saturated fat should be about 14 grams [or less] daily." The researchers also measured cholesterol levels, including total cholesterol, "good" cholesterol (HDL) and "bad" cholesterol (LDL). "On Atkins, cholesterol levels tended to go up," Miller said. "LDL increased by 8 percent [which was not enough to be statistically significant]." On the South Beach diet, LDL decreased by about 12 percent, and on Orni**** declined by about 17 percent, the study showed. The findings are published in the April issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. An early look at the study was first discussed at the American Heart Association's 2007 annual meeting. Connie Diekman, a registered dietitian and director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis, said that although the study was small, the findings are notable. Representatives from Atkins Nutritionals took exception with the study, however. In a statement, Colette Heimowitz, vice president of nutrition and education at Atkins Nutritionals, noted that, "given the short duration of his study, the very small sample size and the weak correlations, drawing conclusions about possible long-term health risks tied to fat consumption in the maintenance phase of any weight control program is not good science." She also questioned whether the participants were actually following a true Atkins diet. But Diekman saw the results as reason to worry. "The outcome does show an indication for concern about the impact of a diet like the Atkins diet that relies on a large amount of saturated fat and the effect on heart health," she said. "More studies are needed in both healthy and overweight individuals, but the early indication of this study is that high-saturated-fat diets are connected to heart disease risk, a fact that has been long known but not always seen when diets high in saturated fat are used for weight loss," Diekman noted. More information The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers healthy eating tips.
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I also would want to know the order they did the 4 week diets, if Atkins was 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. It seems to me that we already know yo-yo dieting is bad for the body, and by putting these people on 4 week on, 4week off diets, that is exactly what the NIH was doing-having them yo-yo diet. I think whichever diet was 2nd or 3rd would have poorer test results simply because of the way the tests were done. Also, I'm not convinced 4 weeks on a diet would be long enough to prove that any increase or decrease in cholesterol or blood vessel health is due to the diet itself.
And why only 18 people in the study? Anyone who has done research of any kind knows that the larger the 'speciman size' the more accurate the results for the population. 18 people, I'm sure, is a very small fraction to represent these three diets. I dont' think any of them (and I'm only familiar with Atkins) are properly represented in this study.
Just my opinion, but it seems to me that this 'test' is/was a big waste of tax-payers money!
HW: 460 (12/18/14) SW: 419 (6/4/15) CW: 330 (10/19/15) Mini goal: 319 by 10/4/15
on 4/26/09 9:17 am
I also would want to know the order they did the 4 week diets, if Atkins was 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. It seems to me that we already know yo-yo dieting is bad for the body, and by putting these people on 4 week on, 4week off diets, that is exactly what the NIH was doing-having them yo-yo diet. I think whichever diet was 2nd or 3rd would have poorer test results simply because of the way the tests were done. Also, I'm not convinced 4 weeks on a diet would be long enough to prove that any increase or decrease in cholesterol or blood vessel health is due to the diet itself.
And why only 18 people in the study? Anyone who has done research of any kind knows that the larger the 'speciman size' the more accurate the results for the population. 18 people, I'm sure, is a very small fraction to represent these three diets. I dont' think any of them (and I'm only familiar with Atkins) are properly represented in this study.
Just my opinion, but it seems to me that this 'test' is/was a big waste of tax-payers money!
They did the diets in random order - some had Atkins first then Ornish and lastly South Beach while others had Ornish then Atkins and finally South Beach etc. So they were controlling for issues that may be related to the order in which diets were done.
Yes there were I guess on a yo-yo diet which is probably why they choose healthy normal weight people. LOL Something we here know a lot about.
Why only 18 people? This kind of experimentation is expensive and it would be wasteful to enroll a large sample of people only to find that there was no difference. They probably only had enough money to study 18 people. Usually you research a small group and if you have solid findings, then you enlarge the study (if you can get grant money) to a larger group. Research is expensive and very few good projects actually get funded. Well they have solid date with 18 people so they hopefully they will be funded for new study with a larger population and perhaps obese people included. Also it can be difficult to keep subjects on diets for any length of time and switching the around - I wonder how many subjects they lost over time because they found it too hard to do - I mean how many of us fall off diets.
The subjects weren't chosen to represent a particular diet - rather the Researchers chose people who agreed to participate and then gave them the different diets - and they had food diaries so that the researchers could follow-up and make certain they were following the rules of each diet. Each person was on all the diets during the study.
I don't think it's a waste of tax payers money - but I think that there are some diets even stricter than Dr. Ornish's that they should have included. I think it's important the people like you and me have the best information when choosing a diet. If you have any heart concerns then you should be careful on Atkins, get regular check ups at your Dr.s to monitor your cholesterol and blood pressure. The Atkins corporation is powerful and spends a lot of time on PR making certain that people want to follow the Atkins diet and hopefully buy their products and books - so having the NIH study them is important.
About this study. I would have a lot more faith in it if they would have picked someone like me who had lost their weight on the Atkin's plan, 129 3/4 pounds, and had been on maintenance for a few years. Someone who has gone through all of the rungs to get to maintenance and knew what their tolerances for carbs were to keep them at a stable weight loss.
And when they say that they ate 50% saturated fat, why don't they list exactly which kinds of fats they were consuming. If it was a diet of 50% fat from something like a pork roast, or bacon full of nitrates, or some other fatty food that people think is common on Atkins, I can see where there would be a problem with the heart. But that's not what I consume EVER.
But let's not ignore polyunsaturated fats. These are often a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, found mostly in cold-water fish, nuts, oils and seeds, and also in dark leafy greens, flaxseed oils and some vegetable oils. One kind of omega-3 fatty acid is an "essential fatty acid," which cannot be manufactured by our bodies, so eating these foods is the only way to get them. Omega-3 fatty acids are thought to lower blood pressure, combat LDL (bad) cholesterol, fight inflammation and protect the brain and nervous system. Olive oil is essential for a healthy heart and I eat it everyday. Bob Harper was discussing it the other day and said that some people think it is empty calories but studies show how important it is to your heart health and is so important to add to your calorie intake. Somehow I get the feeling that this is not what the folks in this study were eating.
I don't know about this study, I can only speak for my experience with my health and Atkins. I have PCOS and insulin resistance. My endocrinologist put me on a low carb diet and an exercise program to control the PCOS and help my cells absorb insulin better. Without this, I was on a fast track to type 2 diabetes.
After my weight loss, I had six reconstructive surgeries to remove the excess skin which meant six physicals, in three years, before I went into each surgery. All of my EKGs came back perfectly normal, so the ticker has done well on Atkins. My blood sugar levels are so normal they're boring. My cholesteral and triglyceride levels are all normal, as are my iron levels, which is unusual for someone with massive weight loss after they've had surgery. Because of all of the changes our bodies have been through and our skin has been so compromised, it is common for us former chubbettes to have complications. I never had an infection, a wound separation , or any major complications. Matter of fact, my surgeon was bragging to the new nurse about how fast I heal. If it sounds like I'm an Atkins fan, it's because I credit the man with saving me from a life of obesity and depression and finding the only diet I could ever lose weight on with these evil hormones!
Mary
on 4/29/09 12:58 pm
About this study. I would have a lot more faith in it if they would have picked someone like me who had lost their weight on the Atkin's plan, 129 3/4 pounds, and had been on maintenance for a few years. Someone who has gone through all of the rungs to get to maintenance and knew what their tolerances for carbs were to keep them at a stable weight loss.
And when they say that they ate 50% saturated fat, why don't they list exactly which kinds of fats they were consuming. If it was a diet of 50% fat from something like a pork roast, or bacon full of nitrates, or some other fatty food that people think is common on Atkins, I can see where there would be a problem with the heart. But that's not what I consume EVER.
But let's not ignore polyunsaturated fats. These are often a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, found mostly in cold-water fish, nuts, oils and seeds, and also in dark leafy greens, flaxseed oils and some vegetable oils. One kind of omega-3 fatty acid is an "essential fatty acid," which cannot be manufactured by our bodies, so eating these foods is the only way to get them. Omega-3 fatty acids are thought to lower blood pressure, combat LDL (bad) cholesterol, fight inflammation and protect the brain and nervous system. Olive oil is essential for a healthy heart and I eat it everyday. Bob Harper was discussing it the other day and said that some people think it is empty calories but studies show how important it is to your heart health and is so important to add to your calorie intake. Somehow I get the feeling that this is not what the folks in this study were eating.
I don't know about this study, I can only speak for my experience with my health and Atkins. I have PCOS and insulin resistance. My endocrinologist put me on a low carb diet and an exercise program to control the PCOS and help my cells absorb insulin better. Without this, I was on a fast track to type 2 diabetes.
After my weight loss, I had six reconstructive surgeries to remove the excess skin which meant six physicals, in three years, before I went into each surgery. All of my EKGs came back perfectly normal, so the ticker has done well on Atkins. My blood sugar levels are so normal they're boring. My cholesteral and triglyceride levels are all normal, as are my iron levels, which is unusual for someone with massive weight loss after they've had surgery. Because of all of the changes our bodies have been through and our skin has been so compromised, it is common for us former chubbettes to have complications. I never had an infection, a wound separation , or any major complications. Matter of fact, my surgeon was bragging to the new nurse about how fast I heal. If it sounds like I'm an Atkins fan, it's because I credit the man with saving me from a life of obesity and depression and finding the only diet I could ever lose weight on with these evil hormones!
Mary
Yes, from everything I've read we should add omega 's to our diet - I use cold ground flax seed for mine or occasionally I have nuts. Fish and nuts are also good sources as you listed. And we do both agree with eating lots of vegetables.
I'm glad that you were successful on Atkins - I guess what I should have added in my last post is that all of us should discuss our diet plans with our physicians so that they can order tests or warn of any potential problems to watch for.
I know I spoke to my PCP.
