A month after Dr. Robert C. Atkins’ death, his much-ridiculed diet has received its most powerful scientific support yet: Two studies in one of medicine’s most distinguished journals show it really does help people lose weight faster without raising their cholesterol.
The research, in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine, found that people on the high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate Atkins diet lose twice as much weight over six months as those on the standard low-fat diet recommended by most major health organizations.
One of the studies, however, found that the Atkins dieters regain much of the weight by the end of one year.
In both studies, the Atkins dieters generally had better levels of “good” cholesterol and triglycerides, or fats in the blood. There was no difference in “bad” cholesterol or blood pressure.
