Studies suggest Atkins diet is safe
 

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The reason those individuals saw a reduction in their cholesterol and triglycerides is because they EXERCISED. Exercise - and not a reduction in carbs - reduces a person's triglycerides and cholesterol levels.

Many people, including myself, lose weight by eating a well-balanced diet which includes carbs. Exercise, however, is the key.

I wonder if any studies have been done on those who eat a low carb, high protein and high fat diet who do NOT exercise. I'd like to know what their cholesterol and triglyceride levels are under those conditions.

But there is still another problem with any type of "diet" study. Our bodies are different. Genetics plays a big role. For example, some eat all the "right foods" and still have high cholesterol and triglyceride levels. They stuggle to maintain normal ranges even on medication. Yet others can eat anything they want to and maintain a healthy blood profile.

These studies are also unreliable because it is doubtful all participants have the same genetic make-up and metabolism rate. Only then could you get a true, scientific comparison.

Re: Studies suggest Atkins diet is safe
 

Yes, numerous studies, just keep reading the posted studies.

Exercise helps lower cholesterrol, that's true.

Also, eating a healthy balanced diet (i.e. no high carb, no low-fat), just like our ancestor's diet, will lower cholesterol naturally.

Wa'il

I'll give you a real-life example. Me. For the first year on low carb, I didn't exercise beyond the walking I did every day in my job and daily errands.
My weight dropped 60 pounds, my blood pressure returned to normal from a beginning reading of 180/106, my blood sugars returned to normal from an average reading of 250 and my cholesterol dropped from 229 to 177. Since total cholesterol doesn't tell you much, I'll give you the breakdowns; my triglycerides dropped from over 300 to 125, my LDL went from 160 to 108 and my HDL was 45 after a year on low carb (about the same...maybe a few points higher than it was when I started). Overall, my cardiac profile was greatly improved along with all other measurements of my health status with a change in diet alone. I won't argue that exercise will also help, but my improvements can be attributed to a change in diet alone.
What was I doing for diet before low carb? The standard 1,500 calorie ADA diet. :p

Oops. I'm new here, and I thought I was posting in the "warzone." Sorry.

I have been on the Atkins diet for about 6 months. I have lost about 30 pounds... my dad and grandmother have diabetes. I started having problems with my blood pressure recently and had to get off of the diet unfortunately. Overall I felt 10 times better than I would eating as I would before I went on the diet. My Doctor instructed me to go off of the diet. Is there anything I can do to get my blood pressure back up without getting off the diet?

Can the atkins diet be any worse than eating fast food, or eating how normal americans eat?

RandaHW
Were I you, I'd find another Dr.

My lipid profile is in a thread in this same page. Click here to see it.

As I mentioned in a following post in that same thread, I did not exercise until the "After 18 months" test was taken. So my HDL went up from 48 to 60 and my Triglycerides went down from 173 to 75 without exercise.

You have confused me! I was believing that this is a new thread. Why should you enter your question in such an old thread?

Perhaps
 

it's because he's new, only two postings.. But, yeah, I don't like when that happens to me either!! :wave: :)

Stick around you might learn something.;)

I Lost 90 lbs and rarely exercised.

I know I should and have started a program.
But I'm here to tell you, you CAN lose weight, Improve ALL your Lipid profile(Trigs,Chol. HDL AND LDL)

My blood work is soooooo much better now that I eat lowcarb and higher fats.
I kepted all my labs from back when I did Lowfat and they were horrible.
Since lowcarb they have all improved dramatically.

Lowcarb-Higherfat is healing my body.

I'm another example - with no exercise:

Total LDL HDL Tri Total / HDL
Start 253 141 48 322 5.3
9mon 207 128 57 108 3.6

My doctor was impressed but didn't seem surprised when I told him I had improved by following Atkins.

Response to question re: studies w/o excercise...
 

I am a Registered Dietitian certified by ADA. I was always skeptical of this diet. However, it works. And, it works even if you don't exercise. I do not condone physical inactivity--we all know that exercise provides a multitude of benefits. Unfortunately after I had my daughter, I gained a good bit of weight. I was always really small--thin w/a small frame as are most women in my family. I was determined to lose the weight, but I found minimal time to exercise w/a fussy baby and working full-time. I eventually tried this diet b/c of my patients constantly telling me that it worked for them. It was an experiment. I talked to my primary care physician, and we even decided to take me off my cholesterol meds to see how the diet affected those levels (High chol, High LDL, normal HDL, very high Trig). Well, I was amazed. I lost about 25# in 2 months. I've kept it off for 3 years. I rarely exercise except for the occasional walk w/my daughter in the neighborhood (weather permitting). My cholesterol/LDL/Trigs all dropped enormously. My HDL increased! I am still no longer taking any meds. My BP is also lower. My muscle tone is better. I can't believe it, even w/o exercising. I do plan on getting back into more physical activity once my daughter starts school, but it's just not possible for me to do much that doesn't include her right now. I have to say as well that most research studies on any type of diet, not just low carb, usually include some sort of excercise regimen. My husband is on the diet too. We don't even feel that it's a diet--it's definitely a way of life. We've never felt or looked better in our lives. We always get complimented on how good/young we look. As an employee of the VA, I couldn't be prouder of these new research results! :)

:wave:

Welcome to the forums! :)

That ocean liner called 'informed medical opinion' is perceptibly slowing down. Soon it will come to a complete halt and we can start to turn it around.

Toot, toot.