Fasting glucose was not reduced, but Hemoglobin A1c was reduced in LC, which is an overall measure, more sensitive to food intake than fasting glucose.

The MSNBC article stated incorrectly that diabetics did not lower blood sugars on low carb...as any diabetic would tell you, that's ludicrous. I see it on my glucometer three or four times a day.

I think the women/men difference can be accounted for by the prevalence of insulin resistance and body shape; for instance, I am a woman with an apple shape, meaning I tend to gain weight around the middle like a man...and I am very insulin resistant. LC is by far the best way of eating for me, although it may not necessarily be for other women who are not insulin resistant (who do not gain weight around the midsection)...although I think it can benefit anyone who may be at risk for diabetes, whether or not they are insulin resistant (yet...that comes over time!)

Hi valleegirl

Welcome to the forum.

Rest asure there are plenty of articles out there that "prove" that low carb works as there are plenty of articles that "prove" it doesn't and it will kill you.

You just have to find out what's best for you & your body.

July 16: In addition to weight loss, low-carbohydrate, high-protein lifestyles promote lower cholesterol levels than competing diets, a Harvard School of Public Health study found. NBC Chief Medical Correspondent Robert Bazell reports.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet...s.ap/index.html


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,384362,00.html


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25708495/

We could have told em.

Yes, I saw this today...my ex called me to take a look at it He's been on me about the diet...

TJ

WOW, Foxnews!! I dare say that's a big breakthrough. I wonder how many shares they have reserved for when Truvia hits the stock-market... ;-)

But seriously, that's awesome! A 2 year study and again low-carb lifestyle came out a big winner. It's getting harder and harder to ignore, I really hope more people will see the "light" and dump the sugar.

It's good to see that this is being reported by the UK media too:



The Mail
London, UK
17 July, 2008


The controversial Atkins diet is 'safe and far more effective than a low-fat one', study shows

The controversial Atkin's diet is just as effective and safe as a conventional low-fat diet, a two year study has found.

Researchers found that overweight volunteers shed more pounds on the low carbohydrate regime than they did on an orthodox calorie-controlled diet.

A Mediterranean diet with plenty of vegetables, fibre, white meat and fish was equally effective - and just as safe, they found.

The findings come from an experiment involving 322 overweight volunteers carried out by a team of Israeli, America and German scientists.

Lead researcher Dr Iris Shai, from the department of epidemiology at Ben-Guiron University of the Negev, Israel, said: 'Clearly there is not one diet that is ideal for everyone.

'We believe that this study will open clinical medicine to considering low-carb and Mediterranean diets as safe, effective alternatives for patients, based on personal preference and the medical goals set out for such intervention.'

Atkin's was the biggest dieting phenomena in years. At its peak around 2004, an estimated three million Britons were following it.

Devised by US heart doctor Robert Atkins, it involves eating plenty of protein while virtually eliminating carbohydrates like sugar, bread, rice and pasta. Controversially, it was high in fat - attracting the ire of doctors.

The diet involves no calorie counting and at its height was particularly popular with men. However, it fell out of favour after concerns that it could increase the risk of heart disease and kidney problems.

By contrast a Mediterranean diet includes a high intake of vegetables and fruits, fish and unsaturated fats like olive oil.

The volunteers in the study, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, were assigned to one of three diets - a low fat calorie-restricted diet; a Mediterranean calorie-restricted diet high in fibre and low in red meat, and a low-carbohydrate diet where volunteers had no limit on calories.

Those on the conventional low-fat diet lost an average of 6.5 pounds in weight over the two years - compared to 10 pounds for those on the Mediterranean diet and 10.3 pounds on the low carb diet.

Most of the weight was lost in the first six months of the trial.

The low-carb diet was best for reducing levels of bad cholesterol, while all three diets had the same beneficial effect on liver and inflammation function, the researchers said.

In the first year, just five per cent of the volunteers dropped out of the study. By the end of the second year, 85 per cent of the volunteers were still on the diet.

The experiment was carried out at the Nuclear Research Centre in Israel where the staff canteen provided suitable dishes for each of the three diets.

Lunch is typically the main meal of the day in Israel. The researchers also gave advice to the families of the volunteers on how to stick to the diets at home.

The researchers concede that the study has some flaws. Around 85 per cent of the volunteers were men - and the effects could be different for women, they say.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tudy-shows.html

Does anyone remember a debate/interview held years ago between Atkins, Dean Ornish and a lady from the AHA?

They both ganged up and dismissed Atkins in the most egregious way. I can still see Ornishs' smarmy condescending smile when ever Atkins tried to make a point. He would trot out his trademark 'Atkins would have us all eating deep fried pork rinds' line.

Geez I hated that little jerk Ornish. I would love to have seen that interview re-visited in light of this latest study.

Fat rules, carbs suck!

This study will change nothing on its own. It's not the first time a study indicated that low carb was safe and more effective for weight loss than low fat or low calorie.

I'd love to see a steady barrage in the media of "maybe Atkins was right all along" stories. I'd also like to see something that would make the tendency to temper these stories (or in this case, the study itself) with caution about meat and saturated fat. But I suppose we all would.

Or how about a Taubes' interview one on one with a Larry King-type? Taubes doesn't fare too well in a debate setting... he is too polite and gets over-powered sometimes. Remember the last appearance on the LK show? I was disappointed, although Andrew Weil had a nice plug.

I am guessing that he has had quite a few live interviews since GCBC came out. I sure hope he has polished up his presentation and is 'ready for primetime'.

Atkins was a too much of a bully and Taubes was too nice. Somewhere in between would be good.

The NIH has a five year study that's been underway for a few years now...

40% of their diet was carbs at 6, 12 and 24 months?

I just posted these on my blog....

The headlines are all over the place regarding what the results mean:

Low-Carb and Low-Fat Diets Face Off

Dr. Meir Stampfer, the study's senior author and professor of epidemiology and
nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, told ABC News: "The low-carb diet
was the clear winner in providing the most weight loss."


The Never-Ending Diet Wars: Why Atkins Still Doesn't Beat Low-Fat Diet

"An optimal diet is one that is low in fat (because fat, whatever the type, has
9 calories per gram versus only 4 calories per gram for protein and
carbohydrates). When you eat less fat, you consume fewer calories without
having to eat less food, because the food is less dense in calories, as well as
low in refined carbohydrates."

Healthy Diets Shown to Have Benefit Despite Modest Weight Losses

In a tightly controlled dieting experiment, obese people lost an average of just
6 to 10 pounds over two years. The study, published Thursday in The New
England Journal of Medicine, was supposed to determine which of three types of
diets works best. Instead, the results highlight the difficulty of weight loss
and the fact that most diets do not work well.


More Evidence that Diets Don't Work

After two years of effort the dieters lost, on average, 6 to 10 pounds. The
study, funded in part by the Atkins Research Foundation, seemed designed to
prove that low-carb diets trump low-fat diets. But in the end, all it really
showed is that dieters can put forth tremendous effort and reap very little
benefit.


Diet Study: Hold the Carbs, Not the Fats

Low-carbohydrate and so-called Mediterranean diets may be more effective than
low-fat diets, according to a major new study published in tomorrow’s New
England Journal of Medicine.


Against the Grains

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.


Diet Plans Produce Similar Results

New research shows that Mediterranean and low-carb diets are just as good and
just as safe as the low-fat diet often prescribed by doctors, a revelation that
should give people more choices in eating well.


Unrestricted Low-Carb Diet Wins Hands Down

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.


Atkins Diet is Safe and Far More Effective Than a Low-Fat One, Study Says

The controversial Atkins diet is just as effective and safe as a conventional
low-fat diet, a two-year study has found. Researchers found that
overweight volunteers shed more pounds on the low carbohydrate regime than they
did on an orthodox calorie-controlled diet.


Low-Carb and Mediterranean Diets May Equal Watching Fat Intake

Explain to interested patients that the study suggested low-carbohydrate and
Mediterranean diets could be as effective as the traditionally recommended
low-fat diet for weight loss.


It's amusing that each of the above headlines are all reporting on the same study!

Here's how this morning's New York Times covered the NEJM study results.

July 17, 2008
Healthy Diets Shown to Have Benefit Despite Modest Weight Losses
By TARA PARKER-POPE

In a tightly controlled dieting experiment, obese people lost an average of just 6 to 10 pounds over two years.

The study, published Thursday in The New England Journal of Medicine, was supposed to determine which of three types of diets works best. Instead, the results highlight the difficulty of weight loss and the fact that most diets do not work well.

The researchers followed 322 dieters, 277 men and 45 women. The dieters were assigned to follow one of three types of diets — a diet with about 30 percent fat, based on American Heart Association guidelines; a Mediterranean diet; and a low-carbohydrate diet based on the Atkins diet plan. The study was partly financed by the Atkins Research Foundation.

The trial was conducted at the Nuclear Research Center in Dimona, Israel, an isolated workplace that has its own medical department.

In addition to regular meetings and telephone calls with dietitians for the participants, the plan included nutrition counseling for spouses and a revamping of the food served in the center’s cafeteria.

Because the center is in an isolated area, the dieters consistently ate lunch, the largest meal of the day, in the company cafeteria, where food was color-coded to help dieters comply with their eating plan.

The biggest weight loss happened in the first five months of the diet — low-fat and Mediterranean dieters lost about 10 pounds, and low-carbohydrate dieters lost 14 pounds.

By the end of two years, all the dieters had regained some, but not all, of the lost weight. The low-fat dieters showed a net loss of six pounds, and the Mediterranean and low-carbohydrate dieters both lost about 10 pounds.

Researchers said the results sound modest, but they said the small weight loss had resulted in improvements in cholesterol and other health markers.

“In order to keep participants on the diet for long term as a way of life, we did not impose extreme diet protocols,” said Iris Shai, the study’s lead author and a registered dietitian at the S. Daniel Abraham International Center for Health and Nutrition. “More dramatic diet protocols could probably reduce more weight for the short term, but participants would have dropped out.”

There were subtle differences in the three diets studied. Men did better on the low-carbohydrate diets, losing 11 pounds compared with about 9 pounds for the Mediterranean diet.

Women fared best on the Mediterranean diet, losing about 14 pounds compared with about 5 pounds on the low-carbohydrate plan.

For all dieters, there were improvements in the ratios of good to bad cholesterol.

“This suggests that healthy diet has beneficial effects beyond weight loss,” Ms. Shai said.

Ya know, I'm feeling sorry for Jane Brody today. With the study published yesterday she lost about 95% of what harps on about.

Quote:

“In order to keep participants on the diet for long term as a way of life, we did not impose extreme diet protocols,” said Iris Shai, the study’s lead author and a registered dietitian at the S. Daniel Abraham International Center for Health and Nutrition. “More dramatic diet protocols could probably reduce more weight for the short term, but participants would have dropped out.”

I hope people, doctors in particular, pay attention to this. One of the reasons the average weight loss was so low was the fact they were more interested in keeping people in the study than with the amount of weight those people lost. For many, perhaps most people, in real life this may be the most important consideration. One point made in the study is that even though people did not continue to lose weight on LC/Med beyond 6 months, their blood profiles *did* continue to improve over the entire 24 month period.