The Atkins Diet

Paper Summary:

This paper begins with a brief synopsis of the Atkins diet and the medical philosophy behind the diet. The paper then reviews studies on the diet's short-term safety and effectiveness and cites the positive results of these studies, while at the same time noting the lack of sufficient medical studies done on the long-term safety and effectiveness of the diet.

From the Paper:

"Recent research suggests that the 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."

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