NOTABLE RESEARCH

Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN diets for change in weight and related risk factors among overweight premenopausal women: the A TO Z Weight Loss Study: a randomized trial.

Summary:
Study out of Stanford University Medical School compared four weight-loss diets representing a spectrum of low to high carbohydrate intake for effects on weight loss and related metabolic variables.

Findings:
Participants assigned to follow the Atkins diet, which had the lowest carbohydrate intake, lost more than twice the weight and experienced favorable overall metabolic effects at 12 months than those assigned to follow the Zone, Ornish, or LEARN diets. 

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Randomized Trial of a Low-Carbohydrate Diet for Obesity

Summary:
Study out of University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and Washington University School of Medicine randomly assigned participants to either a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diet or a low-calorie, high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet.

Findings:
The low-carbohydrate diet produced a greater weight loss and was associated with a greater improvement in some risk factors for coronary heart disease.

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Weight Loss and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Healthy Women on a Low Carbohydrate Diet or a Low Fat Diet

Summary:

Study out of the University of Cincinnati instructed obese women to follow either a low fat, calorie restricted diet or a low carbohydrate diet for six months.

Findings:

The women lost significantly more weight and body fat on the low carbohydrate diet than women instructed on the low fat diet at three and six months. Additionally, blood pressure, triglycerides, cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, and insulin improved. 

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The Role of Energy Expenditure in the Differential Weight Loss in Obese Women on Low Fat and Low Carbohydrate Diets

Summary:
Study out of the University of Cincinnati assigned obese, healthy women to follow either a low carbohydrate or low fat diet for four months. Both groups were given nutrition counseling and were instructed to record energy expenditure using a pedometer.

Findings:
The women on the low carbohydrate diet lost significantly more weight, even though there was no difference in calorie intake or energy expenditure. This supports the metabolic advantage phenomenon in controlled carbohydrate nutrition. 

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A Low-Carbohydrate as Compared with a Low-Fat Diet in Severe Obesity

Summary:
Study out of Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center randomly assigned obese subjects with a mean body-mass index of 43 and a high prevalence of diabetes or the metabolic syndrome to a low-carbohydrate or a low fat diet.

Findings:
Subjects lost more weight during the six months on the low-carbohydrate diet, with a relative improvement in insulin sensitivity and triglyceride levels, even after adjustment for the amount of weight lost. 

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A Randomized Study Comparing the Effects of a Low-Carbohydrate Diet and a Conventional Diet on Lipoprotein Subfractions and C-Reactive Protein Levels in Patients with Severe Obesity

Summary:

Study out of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Drexel University College of Medicine compared the effects of a low-carbohydrate diet and a low fat diet on lipoprotein subfractions and inflammation on severely obese subjects.

Findings:

Severely obese individuals, especially those with other conditions associated with obesity, who follow a low-carbohydrate diet may have beneficial effects on insulin resistance, blood lipids and markers of inflammation.

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The Effects of Low-Carbohydrate Versus Conventional Weight Loss Diets in Severely Obese Adults: One-Year Follow-up

Summary:
Study out of the Veterans Administration Hospital assigned obese adults randomly to either a restricted carbohydrate diet or a low fat diet.

Findings:
Participants on the low-carbohydrate diet had more favorable over outcomes, resulting in a weight loss of 13 pounds on average. Participants with diabetes in the low carbohydrate group had a greater improvement in long-term blood sugar control than those in the low fat group.

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Pilot 12-Week Weight-Loss Comparison: Low-Fat versus Low-Carbohydrate (Ketogenic) Diets

Summary:
Study out of Harvard University recruited twenty-one participants who were randomly assigned to separate diets for 12 weeks: a low fat diet and two different low carbohydrate diets, one allowing 300 more calories a day.

Findings:
Participants consuming the higher calories on the very low carbohydrate diet were able to lose more weight compared to the lower calorie, low fat diet. The low carbohydrate diet improved several risk factors for heart disease. 

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Effect of 6-Month Adherence to a Very Low Carbohydrate Diet Program

Summary:

Study out of Duke University Division of General Internal Medicine determined the effect of a six month very low carbohydrate diet program on body weight and other metabolic parameters.

Findings:

Participants included overweight or obese healthy participants, who lost up to 20 percent of their body weight on a very low carbohydrate diet, unrestricted in calories. There were also significant improvements in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. The results suggest that a short-term, low carbohydrate diet produces weight loss with improvements in the blood lipid profile. 

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