The Atkins diet is a high-protein, high-fat diet, with very low carbohydrate intake (Willett and Skerrett, 2004, 44-48). It has been shown to work for weight loss over the short-term, but there are doubts about its ability to work over the long-term. It is difficult to adhere to such a low-carbohydrate regimen long-term. Two recent studies reported in the New England Journal of Medicine found that people on the Atkins diet lost twice as much weight over a six-month period as those on a standard low-fat diet recommended by most major health organizations (Two, 2003). About 40 percent of patients on each diet dropped out in both studies. However, one study, conducted by the Veterans Affairs Department, found that those on the Atkins diet regained much of the weight by the end of the year, at which time the difference in weight loss between the two groups was not significant.
The weight lost by people on the Atkins diet was also relatively minor compared to their starting weight (Emery, 2003). The average starting weight for participants in the first study was 288 pounds, but the average weight loss was only 13 pounds. In the Veterans Affairs Study, the average starting weight was 217 pounds, but the average loss after one year was only 9.7 pounds.
There are doubts about the credibility of any diet that recommends people can eat as much fat as they want (Willett and Skerrett, 2004, 44-48). Proponents of low-carbohydrate high-protein diets claim that these diets nudge the body into ketosis which occurs when fat is burned for energy instead of carbohydrate (High-protein, 2001, 1-3). When the body is in ketosis, it burns fat for fuel, and feelings of hunger are reduced (Grayson, 2004). This can be toxic to the body if continued for long periods.
High-protein diets have never been in favor with the medical community because the high protein load puts a strain on the kidneys, liver, and heart, increasing the risk...