Study: Low-carb diet best for weight, cholesterol

By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer

ATLANTA - The Atkins diet may have proved itself after all: A low-carb diet and a Mediterranean-style regimen helped people lose more weight than a traditional low-fat diet in one of the longest and largest studies to compare the dueling weight-loss techniques.

A bigger surprise: The low-carb diet improved cholesterol more than the other two. Some critics had predicted the opposite.

"It is a vindication," said Abby Bloch of the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Foundation, a philanthropy group that honors the Atkins' diet's creator and was the study's main funder.

However, all three approaches — the low-carb diet, a low-fat diet and a so-called Mediterranean diet — achieved weight loss and improved cholesterol.

The study is remarkable not only because it lasted two years, much longer than most, but also because of the huge proportion of people who stuck with the diets — 85 percent.

Researchers approached the Atkins Foundation with the idea for the study. But the foundation played no role in the study's design or reporting of the results, said the lead author, Iris Shai of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Other experts said the study — being published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine — was highly credible.

"This is a very good group of researchers," said Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

The research was done in a controlled environment — an isolated nuclear research facility in Israel. The 322 participants got their main meal of the day, lunch, at a central cafeteria.

"The workers can't easily just go out to lunch at a nearby Subway or McDonald's," said Dr. Meir Stampfer, the study's senior author and a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.

In the cafeteria, the appropriate foods for each diet were identified with colored dots, using red for low-fat, green for Mediterranean and blue for low-carb.

As for breakfast and dinner, the dieters were counseled on how to stick to their eating plans and were asked to fill out questionnaires on what they ate, Stampfer said.

The low-fat diet — no more than 30 percent of calories from fat — restricted calories and cholesterol and focused on low-fat grains, vegetables and fruits as options. The Mediterranean diet had similar calorie, fat and cholesterol restrictions, emphasizing poultry, fish, olive oil and nuts.

The low-carb diet set limits for carbohydrates, but none for calories or fat. It urged dieters to choose vegetarian sources of fat and protein.

"So not a lot of butter and eggs and cream," said Madelyn Fernstrom, a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center weight management expert who reviewed the study but was not involved in it.

Most of the participants were men; all men and women in the study got roughly equal amounts of exercise, the study's authors said.

Average weight loss for those in the low-carb group was 10.3 pounds after two years. Those in the Mediterranean diet lost 10 pounds, and those on the low-fat regimen dropped 6.5.

More surprising were the measures of cholesterol. Critics have long acknowledged that an Atkins-style diet could help people lose weight but feared that over the long term, it may drive up cholesterol because it allows more fat.

But the low-carb approach seemed to trigger the most improvement in several cholesterol measures, including the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL, the "good" cholesterol. For example, someone with total cholesterol of 200 and an HDL of 50 would have a ratio of 4 to 1. The optimum ratio is 3.5 to 1, according to the American Heart Association.

Doctors see that ratio as a sign of a patient's risk for hardening of the arteries. "You want that low," Stampfer said.

The ratio declined by 20 percent in people on the low-carb diet, compared to 16 percent in those on the Mediterranean and 12 percent in low-fat dieters.

The study is not the first to offer a favorable comparison of an Atkins-like diet. Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last year found overweight women on the Atkins plan had slightly better blood pressure and cholesterol readings than those on the low-carb Zone diet, the low-fat Ornish diet and a low-fat diet that followed U.S. government guidelines.

The heart association has long recommended low-fat diets to reduce heart risks, but some of its leaders have noted the Mediterranean diet has also proven safe and effective.

The heart association recommends a low-fat diet even more restrictive than the one in the study, said Dr. Robert Eckel, the association's past president who is a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado-Denver.

It does not recommend the Atkins diet. However, a low-carb approach is consistent with heart association guidelines so long as there are limitations on the kinds of saturated fats often consumed by people on the Atkins diet, Eckel said.

The new study's results favored the Atkins-like approach less when subgroups such as diabetics and women were examined.

Among the 36 diabetics, only those on the Mediterranean diet lowered blood sugar levels. Among the 45 women, those on the Mediterranean diet lost the most weight.

"I think these data suggest that men may be much more responsive to a diet in which there are clear limits on what foods can be consumed," such as an Atkins-like diet, said Dr. William Dietz, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"It suggests that because women have had more experience dieting or losing weight, they're more capable of implementing a more complicated diet," said Dietz, who heads CDC's nutrition unit.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080716...d_dueling_diets

Weight Loss with a Low-Carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or Low-Fat Diet

ABSTRACT

Background Trials comparing the effectiveness and safety of weight-loss diets are frequently limited by short follow-up times and high dropout rates.

Methods In this 2-year trial, we randomly assigned 322 moderately obese subjects (mean age, 52 years; mean body-mass index [the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters], 31; male sex, 86%) to one of three diets: low-fat, restricted-calorie; Mediterranean, restricted-calorie; or low-carbohydrate, non–restricted-calorie.

Results The rate of adherence to a study diet was 95.4% at 1 year and 84.6% at 2 years. The Mediterranean-diet group consumed the largest amounts of dietary fiber and had the highest ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fat (P<0.05 for all comparisons among treatment groups). The low-carbohydrate group consumed the smallest amount of carbohydrates and the largest amounts of fat, protein, and cholesterol and had the highest percentage of participants with detectable urinary ketones (P<0.05 for all comparisons among treatment groups). The mean weight loss was 2.9 kg for the low-fat group, 4.4 kg for the Mediterranean-diet group, and 4.7 kg for the low-carbohydrate group (P<0.001 for the interaction between diet group and time); among the 272 participants who completed the intervention, the mean weight losses were 3.3 kg, 4.6 kg, and 5.5 kg, respectively. The relative reduction in the ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 20% in the low-carbohydrate group and 12% in the low-fat group (P=0.01). Among the 36 subjects with diabetes, changes in fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels were more favorable among those assigned to the Mediterranean diet than among those assigned to the low-fat diet (P<0.001 for the interaction among diabetes and Mediterranean diet and time with respect to fasting glucose levels).

Conclusions Mediterranean and low-carbohydrate diets may be effective alternatives to low-fat diets. The more favorable effects on lipids (with the low-carbohydrate diet) and on glycemic control (with the Mediterranean diet) suggest that personal preferences and metabolic considerations might inform individualized tailoring of dietary interventions.

------------------

The dramatic increase in obesity worldwide remains challenging and underscores the urgent need to test the effectiveness and safety of several widely used weight-loss diets.1,2,3 Low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diets (referred to as low-carbohydrate diets) have been compared with low-fat, energy-restricted diets.4,5,6,7,8,9 A meta-analysis of five trials with 447 participants10 and a recent 1-year trial involving 311 obese women4 suggested that a low-carbohydrate diet is a feasible alternative to a low-fat diet for producing weight loss and may have favorable metabolic effects. However, longer-term studies are lacking.4,10 A Mediterranean diet with a moderate amount of fat and a high proportion of monounsaturated fat provides cardiovascular benefits.11 A recent review citing several trials12 included a few that suggested that the Mediterranean diet was beneficial for weight loss.13,14 However, this positive effect has not been conclusively demonstrated.15
Common limitations of dietary trials include high attrition rates (15 to 50% within a year), small size, short duration, lack of assessment of adherence, and unequal intensity of intervention.10,12,15,16,17 We conducted the 2-year Dietary Intervention Randomized Controlled Trial (DIRECT) to compare the effectiveness and safety of three nutritional protocols: a low-fat, restricted-calorie diet; a Mediterranean, restricted-calorie diet; and a low-carbohydrate, non–restricted-calorie diet.

Methods

Eligibility and Study Design

We conducted the trial between July 2005 and June 2007 in Dimona, Israel, in a workplace at a research center with an on-site medical clinic. Recruitment began in December 2004. The criteria for eligibility were an age of 40 to 65 years and a body-mass index (BMI, the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) of at least 27, or the presence of type 2 diabetes (according to the American Diabetes Association criteria18) or coronary heart disease, regardless of age and BMI. Persons were excluded if they were pregnant or lactating, had a serum creatinine level of 2 mg per deciliter (177 µmol per liter) or more, had liver dysfunction (an increase by a factor of at least 2 above the upper limit of normal in alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels), had gastrointestinal problems that would prevent them from following any of the test diets, had active cancer, or were participating in another diet trial.

The participants were randomly assigned within strata of sex, age (below or above the median), BMI (below or above the median), history of coronary heart disease (yes or no), history of type 2 diabetes (yes or no), and current use of statins (none, <1 year, or 1 year) with the use of Monte Carlo simulations. The participants received no financial compensation or gifts. The study was approved and monitored by the human subjects committee of Soroka Medical Center and Ben-Gurion University. Each participant provided written informed consent.

The members of each of the three diet groups were assigned to subgroups of 17 to 19 participants, with six subgroups for each group. Each diet group was assigned a registered dietitian who led all six subgroups of that group. The dietitians met with their groups in weeks 1, 3, 5, and 7 and thereafter at 6-week intervals, for a total of 18 sessions of 90 minutes each. We adapted the Israeli version (developed by the Maccabi Health Maintenance Organization) of the diabetes-prevention program19 and developed additional themes for each diet group (see Supplementary Appendix 1, available with the full text of this article at www.nejm.org). In order to maintain equal intensity of treatment, the workshop format and the quality of the materials were similar among the three diet groups, except for instructions and materials specific to each diet strategy. Six times during the 2-year intervention, another dietitian conducted 10-to-15-minute motivational telephone calls with participants who were having difficulty adhering to the diets and gave a summary of each call to the group dietitian. In addition, a group of spouses received education to strengthen their support of the participants (data not shown).

Low-Fat Diet

The low-fat, restricted-calorie diet was based on American Heart Association20 guidelines. We aimed at an energy intake of 1500 kcal per day for women and 1800 kcal per day for men, with 30% of calories from fat, 10% of calories from saturated fat, and an intake of 300 mg of cholesterol per day. The participants were counseled to consume low-fat grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes and to limit their consumption of additional fats, sweets, and high-fat snacks.

Mediterranean Diet

The moderate-fat, restricted-calorie, Mediterranean diet was rich in vegetables and low in red meat, with poultry and fish replacing beef and lamb. We restricted energy intake to 1500 kcal per day for women and 1800 kcal per day for men, with a goal of no more than 35% of calories from fat; the main sources of added fat were 30 to 45 g of olive oil and a handful of nuts (five to seven nuts, <20 g) per day. The diet is based on the recommendations of Willett and Skerrett.21

Low-Carbohydrate Diet

The low-carbohydrate, non–restricted-calorie diet aimed to provide 20 g of carbohydrates per day for the 2-month induction phase and immediately after religious holidays, with a gradual increase to a maximum of 120 g per day to maintain the weight loss. The intakes of total calories, protein, and fat were not limited. However, the participants were counseled to choose vegetarian sources of fat and protein and to avoid trans fat. The diet was based on the Atkins diet (see Supplementary Appendix 2).22

Nutritional and Color Labeling of Food in the Cafeteria

Lunch is typically the main meal in Israel. The self-service cafeteria in the workplace provided a varied menu and was the exclusive source of lunch for the participants. A dietitian worked closely with the kitchen staff to adjust specific food items to specific diet groups. Each food item was provided with a label showing the number of calories and the number of grams of carbohydrates, fat, and saturated fat, according to an analysis based on the Israeli nutritional database. Each food item was also labeled with a full circle (indicating "feel free to consume") or a half circle (indicating "consume in moderation"). The labels were color-coded according to diet group and were updated daily (see Supplementary Appendix 2).23

Electronic Questionnaires at Baseline and Follow-up

Adherence to the diets was evaluated by a validated food-frequency questionnaire24 that included 127 food items and three portion-size pictures for 17 items.25 A subgroup of participants completed two repeated 24-hour dietary recalls to verify absolute intake (data not shown). We used a validated questionnaire to assess physical activity.26 At baseline and at 6, 12, and 24 months of follow-up, the questionnaires were self-administered electronically through the workplace intranet. The 15% of participants who requested aid in completing the questionnaires were assisted by the study nurse. The electronic questionnaire helped to ensure completeness of the data by prompting the participant when a question was not answered, and it permitted rapid automated reporting by the group dietitians.

Outcomes

The participants were weighed without shoes to the nearest 0.1 kg every month. With the use of a wall-mounted stadiometer, height was measured to the nearest millimeter at baseline for determination of BMI. Waist circumference was measured halfway between the last rib and the iliac crest. Blood pressure was measured every 3 months with the use of an automated system (Datascop Acutor 4) after 5 minutes of rest.

Blood samples were obtained by venipuncture at 8 a.m. after a 12-hour fast at baseline and at 6, 12, and 24 months and were stored at –80°C until an assay for lipids, inflammatory biomarkers, and insulin could be performed. Levels of fasting plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and liver enzymes were measured in fresh samples. The level of glycated hemoglobin was determined with the use of Cobas Integra reagents and equipment. Serum levels of total cholesterol, high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides were determined enzymatically with a Wako R-30 automatic analyzer, with coefficients of variation of 1.3% for cholesterol and 2.1% for triglycerides. Plasma insulin levels were measured with the use of an enzyme immunometric assay (Immulite automated analyzer, Diagnostic Products), with a coefficient of variation of 2.5%. Plasma levels of high-molecular-weight adiponectin were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (AdipoGen or Axxora), with a coefficient of variation of 4.8%. Plasma leptin levels were assessed by ELISA (Mediagnost), with a coefficient of variation of 2.4%. Plasma levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were measured by ELISA (DiaMed), with a coefficient of variation of 1.9%. The clinic and laboratory staff members were unaware of the treatment assignments, and the study coordinators were unaware of all outcome data until the end of the intervention.

Statistical Analysis

For weight loss, the prespecified primary aim was the change in weight from baseline to 24 months. We used the Israeli food database23 in the analysis of the results of the dietary questionnaires. We analyzed the dietary-composition data and biomarkers with the use of raw unadjusted means, without imputation of missing data. We compared the dietary-intake values between groups at each time point with the use of an analysis of variance in which all pairwise comparisons among the three diet groups were performed with the use of Tukey's Studentized range test. We transformed physical-activity scores into metabolic equivalents per week27 according to the amount of time spent in various forms of exercise per week, with each activity weighted in terms of its level of intensity. For intention-to-treat analyses, we included all 322 participants and used the most recent values for weight and blood pressure. To evaluate the repeated measurements over time, we used generalized estimating equations for panel data analysis, also known as cross-sectional time-series analysis, with the use of the Stata software XTGEE command; this allowed us to account for the nonindependence of repeated measurements of the same bioindicator in the same participant over time. We used age, sex, time point, and diet group as explanatory variables in our models. To study changes over time and the effects of sex or the presence or absence of diabetes, we added appropriate interaction terms. We assessed the within-person changes from baseline in each diet group with the use of pairwise comparisons. We calculated the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) according to the following equation28: insulin (U/ml) x fasting glucose (mmol/liter) ÷ 22.5. For a mean (±SD) difference between groups of at least 2±10 kg of weight loss, with 100 participants per group and a type I error of 5%, the power to detect significant differences in weight loss is greater than 90%. We used SPSS software, version 15, and Stata software, version 9, for the statistical analysis.

Results

Characteristics of the Participants

The baseline characteristics of the participants are shown in Table 1. The mean age was 52 years and the mean BMI was 31. Most participants (86%) were men. The overall rate of adherence (Figure 1) was 95.4% at 12 months and 84.6% at 24 months; the 24-month adherence rates were 90.4% in the low-fat group, 85.3% in the Mediterranean-diet group, and 78.0% in the low-carbohydrate group (P=0.04 for the comparison among diet groups). During the study, there was little change in usage of medications, and there were no significant differences among groups in the amount of change; four participants initiated and three stopped cholesterol-lowering therapy. Twenty participants initiated blood-pressure treatment, five initiated medications for glycemic control, and one reduced the dosage of medications for glycemic control.

Dietary Intake, Energy Expenditure, and Urinary Ketones

At baseline, there were no significant differences in the composition of the diets consumed by participants assigned to the low-fat, Mediterranean, and low-carbohydrate diets. Daily energy intake, as assessed by the food-frequency questionnaire, decreased significantly at 6, 12, and 24 months in all diet groups as compared with baseline (P<0.001); there were no significant differences among the groups in the amount of decrease (Table 2). The low-carbohydrate group had a lower intake of carbohydrates (P<0.001) and higher intakes of protein (P<0.001), total fat (P<0.001), saturated fat (P<0.001), and total cholesterol (P=0.04) than the other groups. The Mediterranean-diet group had a higher ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fat than the other groups (P<0.001) and a higher intake of dietary fiber than the low-carbohydrate group (P=0.002). The low-fat group had a lower intake of saturated fat than the low-carbohydrate group (P=0.02). The amount of physical activity increased significantly from baseline in all groups, with no significant difference among groups in the amount of increase. The proportion of participants with detectable urinary ketones at 24 months was higher in the low-carbohydrate group (8.3%) than in the low-fat group (4.8%) or the Mediterranean-diet group (2.8%) (P=0.04).

Weight Loss

A phase of maximum weight loss occurred from 1 to 6 months and a maintenance phase from 7 to 24 months. All groups lost weight, but the reductions were greater in the low-carbohydrate and the Mediterranean-diet groups (P<0.001 for the interaction between diet group and time) than in the low-fat group (Figure 2). The overall weight changes among the 322 participants at 24 months were –2.9±4.2 kg for the low-fat group, –4.4±6.0 kg for the Mediterranean-diet group, and –4.7±6.5 kg for the low-carbohydrate group. Among the 277 male participants, the mean 24-month weight changes were –3.4 kg (95% confidence interval [CI], –4.3 to –2.5) for the low-fat group, –4.0 kg (95% CI, –5.1 to –3.0) for the Mediterranean-diet group, and –4.9 kg (95% CI, –6.2 to –3.6) for the low-carbohydrate group. Among the 45 women, the mean 24-month weight changes were –0.1 kg (95% CI, –2.2 to 1.9) for the low-fat group, –6.2 kg (95% CI, –10.2 to –1.9) for the Mediterranean-diet group, and –2.4 kg (95% CI, –6.9 to 2.2) for the low-carbohydrate group (P<0.001 for the interaction between diet group and sex). The mean weight changes among the 272 participants who completed 24 months of intervention were –3.3±4.1 kg in the low-fat group, –4.6±6.0 kg in the Mediterranean-diet group, and –5.5±7.0 kg in the low-carbohydrate group (P=0.03 for the comparison between the low-fat and the low-carbohydrate groups at 24 months). The mean (±SD) changes in BMI were –1.0±1.4 in the low-fat group, –1.5±2.2 in the Mediterranean-diet group, and –1.5±2.1 in the low-carbohydrate group (P=0.05 for the comparison among groups).

All groups had significant decreases in waist circumference and blood pressure, but the differences among the groups were not significant. The waist circumference decreased by a mean of 2.8±4.3 cm in the low-fat group, 3.5±5.1 cm in the Mediterranean-diet group, and 3.8±5.2 cm in the low-carbohydrate group (P=0.33 for the comparison among groups). Systolic blood pressure fell by 4.3±11.8 mm Hg in the low-fat group, 5.5±14.3 mm Hg in the Mediterranean-diet group, and 3.9±12.8 mm Hg in the low-carbohydrate group (P=0.64 for the comparison among groups). The corresponding decreases in diastolic pressure were 0.9±8.1, 2.2±9.5, and 0.8±8.7 mm Hg (P=0.43 for the comparison among groups).

Lipid Profiles

Changes in lipid profiles during the weight-loss and maintenance phases are shown in Figure 3. HDL cholesterol (Figure 3A) increased during the weight-loss and maintenance phases in all groups, with the greatest increase in the low-carbohydrate group (8.4 mg per deciliter [0.22 mmol per liter], P<0.01 for the interaction between diet group and time), as compared with the low-fat group (6.3 mg per deciliter [0.16 mmol per liter]). Triglyceride levels (Figure 3B) decreased significantly in the low-carbohydrate group (23.7 mg per deciliter [0.27 mmol per liter], P=0.03 for the interaction between diet group and time), as compared with the low-fat group (2.7 mg per deciliter [0.03 mmol per liter]). LDL cholesterol levels (Figure 3C) did not change significantly within groups, and there were no significant differences between the groups in the amount of change. Overall, the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol (Figure 3D) decreased during both the weight-loss and the maintenance phases. The low-carbohydrate group had the greatest improvement, with a relative decrease of 20% (P=0.01 for the interaction between diet group and time), as compared with a decrease of 12% in the low-fat group.

High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein, High-Molecular-Weight Adiponectin, and Leptin

The level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein decreased significantly (P<0.05) only in the Mediterranean-diet group (21%) and the low-carbohydrate group (29%), during both the weight-loss and the maintenance phases, with no significant differences among the groups in the amount of decrease (Figure 4A). During both the weight-loss and the maintenance phases, the level of high-molecular-weight adiponectin (Figure 4B) increased significantly (P<0.05) in all diet groups, with no significant differences among the groups in the amount of increase. Circulating leptin, which reflects body-fat mass, decreased significantly (P<0.05) in all diet groups, with no significant differences among the groups in the amount of decrease; the decrease in leptin paralleled the decrease in body weight during the two phases (Figure 4C). The interaction between the effects of low-carbohydrate diet and sex on the reduction of leptin (P=0.04), as compared with the low-fat diet, reflects the greater effect of the low-carbohydrate diet among men.

Fasting Plasma Glucose, HOMA-IR, and Glycated Hemoglobin

Among the 36 participants with diabetes (Figure 4D), only those in the Mediterranean-diet group had a decrease in fasting plasma glucose levels (32.8 mg per deciliter); this change was significantly different from the increase in plasma glucose levels among participants with diabetes in the low-fat group (P<0.001 for the interaction between diet group and time). There was no significant change in plasma glucose level among the participants without diabetes (P<0.001 for the interaction among diabetes and Mediterranean diet and time). In contrast, insulin levels (Figure 4E) decreased significantly in participants with diabetes and in those without diabetes in all diet groups, with no significant differences among groups in the amount of decrease. Among the participants with diabetes, the decrease in HOMA-IR at 24 months (Figure 4F) was significantly greater in those assigned to the Mediterranean diet than in those assigned to the low-fat diet (2.3 and 0.3, respectively; P=0.02; P=0.04 for the interaction among diabetes and Mediterranean diet and time). Among the participants with diabetes, the proportion of glycated hemoglobin at 24 months decreased by 0.4±1.3% in the low-fat group, 0.5±1.1% in the Mediterranean-diet group, and 0.9±0.8% in the low-carbohydrate group. The changes were significant (P<0.05) only in the low-carbohydrate group (P=0.45 for the comparison among groups).

Liver-Function Tests

Changes in bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, and alanine aminotransferase levels were similar among the diet groups. Alanine aminotransferase levels were significantly reduced from baseline to 24 months in the Mediterranean-diet and the low-carbohydrate groups (reductions of 3.4±11.0 and 2.6±8.6 units per liter, respectively; P<0.05 for the comparison with baseline in both groups).

Discussion

In this 2-year dietary-intervention study, we found that the Mediterranean and low-carbohydrate diets are effective alternatives to the low-fat diet for weight loss and appear to be just as safe as the low-fat diet. In addition to producing weight loss in this moderately obese group of participants, the low-carbohydrate and Mediterranean diets had some beneficial metabolic effects, a result suggesting that these dietary strategies might be considered in clinical practice and that diets might be individualized according to personal preferences and metabolic needs. The similar caloric deficit achieved in all diet groups suggests that a low-carbohydrate, non–restricted-calorie diet may be optimal for those who will not follow a restricted-calorie dietary regimen. The increasing improvement in levels of some biomarkers over time up to the 24-month point, despite the achievement of maximum weight loss by 6 months, suggests that a diet with a healthful composition has benefits beyond weight reduction.

The present study has several limitations. We enrolled few women; however, we observed a significant interaction between the effects of diet group and sex on weight loss (women tended to lose more weight on the Mediterranean diet), and this difference between men and women was also reflected in the changes in leptin levels. This possible sex-specific difference should be explored in further studies. The data from the few participants with diabetes are of interest, but we recognize that measurement of HOMA-IR is not an optimal method to assess insulin resistance among persons with diabetes. We relied on self-reported dietary intake, but we validated the dietary assessment in two different dietary-assessment tools and used electronic questionnaires to minimize the amount of missing data. Finally, one might argue that the unique nature of the workplace in this study, which permitted a closely monitored dietary intervention for a period of 2 years, makes it difficult to generalize the results to other free-living populations. However, we believe that similar strategies to maintain adherence could be applied elsewhere.

The strengths of the study include the one-phase design, in which all participants started simultaneously; the relatively long duration of the study; the large study-group size; and the high rate of adherence. The monthly measurements of weight permitted a better understanding of the weight-loss trajectory than was the case in previous studies.

We observed two phases of weight change: initial weight loss and weight maintenance. The maximum weight reduction was achieved during the first 6 months; this period was followed by the maintenance phase of partial rebound and a plateau. Among all diet groups, weight loss was greater for those who completed the 24-month study than for those who did not. Even moderate weight loss has health benefits, and our findings suggest benefits of behavioral approaches that yield weight losses similar to those obtained with pharmacotherapy.29

We distinguished between changes in levels of biomarkers (leptin, adiponectin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) that are apparently related to loss of adipose tissue and changes in biomarkers (triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, glucose, and insulin) that apparently reflect, in part, the effects of specific diet composition. The changes we observed in levels of adiponectin and leptin,30 which were consistent in all groups, reflect loss of weight. Consumption of monounsaturated fats is thought to improve insulin sensitivity,14,31,32 an effect that may explain the favorable effect of the Mediterranean diet on glucose and insulin levels. The results imply that dietary composition modifies metabolic biomarkers in addition to leading to weight loss. Our results suggest that health care professionals might consider more than one dietary approach, according to individual preferences and metabolic needs, as long as the effort is sustained.

This trial also suggests a model that might be applied more broadly in the workplace. As Okie recently suggested,33 using the employer as a health coach could be a cost-effective way to improve health. The model of intervention with the use of dietary group sessions, spousal support, food labels, and monthly weighing in the workplace within the framework of a health promotion campaign might yield weight reduction and long-term health benefits.

FREE Full-Text has the tables - LINK

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/gen...inst_the_grains

Low-carbohydrate and Mediterranean diets outperform low-fat regimen in two-year trial

Carbohydrates have taken another hit. A new study finds that a low-carb diet results in greater weight loss and better cholesterol readings than a low-fat regimen that promotes a lot of grains and fruits. A Mediterranean diet that incorporates some of each diet yielded results that fell between the two, researchers in Israel report in the July 17 New England Journal of Medicine.



more at link above.

Yay!! Finally we're getting some decent evidence.

How long do you think it'll take the rest of the western world to catch on, do ya think?

Sheesh just spotted this. They're still so very scared of saturated fat and meat aren't they?

This is very beachy to me. I do admit that my fat % is higher than this.



Emphasis mine!!

Great study....

I just saw this on ABC news. They said the low-carb group was the clear winner in weight loss, health markers and hunger control. Could the truth have finally come out?

But it was a vegetarian LC diet....they still won't admit to eating any type of red meat. You can "occasionally" have chicken or fish.

They admitted that "low fat diets may not be first choice anymore."

Yep, saw it on ABC, too.

(still the 'ate less because we're full') ya, right. Have you seen my pound of ribs on my plate, doc?

Ate less of the BAD stuff, ya!


I KNEW there was a change in the air!!!!

This was highly controlled study and now people will have very hard time refuting it !

That is a very interesting finding.

Leslie, I don't see where this is a vegetarian low carb diet. Where do you see that?

A sample of headlines on the study from news sources:

Long-Term Diet Study Suggests Success Is Hard to Come By

Study: Low-carb diet best for weight, cholesterol

Best Diet: Low-Fat, Low-Carb or Mediterranean? Research Belies Long-Held Belief That Low-Fat Diets Are Best

Diet Study:Hold the carbs, not the fats

Fabulous! Just saw it here, myself:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080716...d_dueling_diets

LOL! Health day is reporting it that they're all equal.

Diet Plans Produce Similar Results
Study finds Mediterranean and low-carb diets work just as well as low-fat ones

Fools!

It was on NBC news as well comparing these 3 diets then interviewed a doctor - he made sure to state it was a vegetarian low carb diet.


The low-carb diet was based on the Atkins plan. In this group, calories weren't restricted. These participants were told to eat about 20 grams of carbs a day (about the amount in two slices of bread) for two months, and then increase it to no more than 120 grams a day. They focused on vegetarian sources of fat and protein and avoided foods with trans fat.

Diet Debate