VOICE ONE:

Many people who try to lose weight know that no diet is perfect.But  two new studies show that a diet low in carbohydrates can cause faster weight loss than a diet low in fats. This was true at least in the short term. Researchers published the findings in the Annalsof Internal Medicine.

The studies appear to support popular low-carbohydrate plans likethe Atkins diet. Doctor Robert Atkins urged people to eathigh-protein foods like meat and eggs. He told dieters to avoid foods high in starch and sugar. Doctor Atkins died last year. He fell on an icy street in New York and suffered a head injury. He wasseventy-two years old.

VOICE TWO:

Our body uses carbohydrates for energy. It can also make energy from protein and fat. But proteins generally make people feel more satisfied with less food than carbohydrates do. This is one of themain arguments for a low-carb diet to lose weight.

One of the new studies took place at Duke University MedicalCenter in Durham, North Carolina. The Robert C. Atkins Foundationpaid for the study but was not involved in the research. Thisorganization works to get more people to follow the doctor's ideas.

One-hundred-twenty overweight adults took part in the study. Theywere between the ages of eighteen and sixty-five. They followedeither the Atkins plan or a low-fat diet for one year.

After six months, the people on the Atkins diet lost an averageof eleven kilograms. Those on the low-fat diet lost an average ofsix kilograms.

VOICE ONE:

The Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, did the second study. This study did not involve theAtkins Foundation.

One-hundred-thirty-two adults took part. Most had diabetes. Theresearchers put half the people on a low-carb diet. The other halffollowed a low-fat diet.

After one year, the low-carb dieters had lost on average as muchas eight kilograms. Yet the low-fat dieters lost about the sameamount.

What happened? The low-carb dieters lost weight faster in thebeginning. But the low-fat dieters lost weight throughout the year.However, the study found that the people with diabetes controlledtheir blood sugar better with low carbohydrates.

The new research also found that triglyceride levels fell more onthe low-carb diet than on the low-fat plan. Triglycerides are fatsin the blood that can increase the risk of heart disease.

Levels of so-called good cholesterol also appeared to improvewith the low-carb diet. Higher levels of good cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. But levels of bad cholesterol did go upin some people.

VOICE TWO:

Doctor Walter Willett is a nutrition expert at the Harvard Schoolof Public Health. Doctor Willett wrote a commentary on the twostudies. In his words, "we can no longer dismiss very-low carbohydrate diets." He says Doctor Atkins should get "credit forhis observations that many people can control their weight bygreatly reducing carbohydrates."

But other health experts are not satisfied. They want more research done to learn the effects of following the Atkins diet forlong periods of time. They warn that people who eat a lot of fat maygive themselves a heart attack. And they question how good it is forpeople not to eat things like fruit.

VOICE ONE:

The Atkins diet and other low-carbohydrate plans have had a bigeffect on the food industry. Stores sell lots of new low-carb foodsas well as lower-carb versions of breads and pastas. But supportersof the Atkins diet say people should not use it as an excuse to fillthemselves with fatty foods.

Marketers of the eating plan have been doing more lately to tryto explain it to people. They say proteins such as poultry, fish,beef, pork and soy products should be the largest part of whatpeople eat. But they say the next largest part should be greenvegetables. After that, the plan calls for smaller amounts offruits, oils, nuts, cheese and beans. The Atkins advice is that the smallest part of what people eat should be whole grain foods such as barley, oats and brown rice.

VOICE TWO:

But, to lose weight, it says eating should center on protein,leafy vegetables and healthy oils.

Last week the New York Times reported what it said was apparently the first legal action against the Atkins diet. A Florida man said he suffered a blocked artery from high cholesterol after two years on the diet. He asked for twenty-eight-thousand dollars. The Atkins Nutritionals company said the case was part of an effort to scare people into not eating any animal protein.

You're listening to SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

 -----8:12