¶ … low-carbohydrate Atkins diet is safe and effective in the short-term. Today, millions of Americans follow the Atkins diet, making questions of safety and effectiveness increasingly important. In controlled studies, those on the Atkins diet lost more weight, had bigger increases in heart-friendly HDL cholesterol and had larger decreases in triglyceride levels when compared to dieters on a "normal" diet. Despite the diet's clear short-term success, the long-term effectiveness and safety of the diet have not been conclusively established, although a diet that combines the traditional Atkins diet with low fat may help to reduce some of these potential risks. Overall, the Atkins diet seems to be an effective way to shed pounds, at least in the short-term. The Atkins diet may provide an effective and safe means to improve health, even when potential concerns about the diet are contrasted against the documented and well-known dangers of obesity. The Atkins Diet

The Atkins diet craze has swept North America. Famous celebrities like Friends star Jennifer Aniston have lost weight on the diet. Supermarkets are jammed with low carbohydrate foods ranging from salad dressing to cookies. Millions of Americans is cutting back carbohydrates as the country embraces the Atkins diet craze.

The claims made by Robert C. Atkins suggest that the Atkins diet is a panacea for almost all diet and weight loss ills. In his enormously popular book, Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, Atkins' first line reads like a cheesy television infomercial for a diet supplement "Lose weight! Increase energy! Look great!" (p. 3). Atkins continues, "I have a solution that will help end the game of yo-yo dieting once and for all" (p. 3). He goes on to claim that the Atkins diet "lets you lose weight without counting calories," "makes you feel and look better," "naturally re-energizes you" and "keeps pounds off forever" (p. 4).

The theory behind the Atkins diet success is fairly simple. Both carbohydrates and fats provide energy (as do proteins). However,...

This state is called ketosis. When ketosis occurs, fat stores are burned, and the end result is weight loss. People in the early stage of the Atkins diet eat no carbohydrates other than salad greens, broccoli and zucchini, but eat as much meat and fatty foods as they desire. The diet eases up on carbohydrate restrictions in the later stages.
Safety and Efficacy of the Atkins Diet

In addition to the phenomenal popularity of the Atkins diet, and the claims of Atkins himself, recent research seems to support both the safety and effectiveness of the diet. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine studied obese men and women were put on the Atkins diet or a conventional diet of 60% carbohydrates, 25% fat and 15% protein. In both situations, females were limited to 1200 to 1500 calories, while males were limited to 1500 to 1800 calories. The participants were then assessed at three, six and twelve months. At all assessments, those on the Atkins Diet lost more weight, arguing that the diet is indeed effective. At three months, those on the Atkins Diet, on average, lost 17.6 pounds, while those in the other group lost 8.3 pounds, on average. Six months into the study Aitkin's Dieters lost 21.2 pounds on average, while the others had lost 11.5 pounds, on average (BBC.com). However, those on the Aitkin's diet had not lost more weight than those on standard diets at the at one year point (CNN.com).

Importantly, this study also indicates that the Atkins Diet may have some health benefits for participants. Participants on the Atkins diet showed an increase in their levels of HDL,"good" cholesterol linked to heart health. In addition, triglyceride levels were reduced in those on the Atkins Diet. Professor Gary Foster of the University of Pennsylvania notes "initial findings suggest that such diets may not have the adverse effects that were anticipated" (BBC.com).

While initial research shows the Atkins diet…