The Minster Practice, Lichfield

Updated 11/03/2007

We are often asked which diet is best for reducing weight but if there was a best diet everyone would be following it. Banish Your Belly Butt & Thighs, The Fat Loss Plan, Pilates Plus Diet, Fat Burner Workout, Fat Girl Slim, Dr McGraw's Ultimate Weight Solution, The GI (glycaemic index) Diet, The Easy GI (glycaemic index) Diet, Slimfast diet, Kellogg's Cereal Diet, The Weetabix Diet, Bikini Fit 4 week Plan, Low fat Diet, The F Plan diet, The French Woman's diet, Atkins New Diet Revolution, Curb The Carb, WeightWatchers, Slimmers World, Detox for Life, Dr Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss, 10 Minute Hips and Thighs, Bums and Tums, The Smart Diet, Picture Perfect Weight Loss Plan, Coconut Diet, Body Clock Diet, No Carbs After 5pm Diet, Japanese Diet, The Stone Age Diet, The Eskimo Diet, The Greek Doctor's diet, The Hawaii Diet, The Mediterranean Diet etc etc

Any diet must be a long term plan addressing the balance between calorie intake and calorie expenditure. This is met by the following:

Change One Diet http://www.changeonediet.com/

WeightWatchers http://www.weightwatchers.co.uk/

WeightWatchers for men http://www.weightwatchers.com/mp5/uk/index_flash.asp or 01628 415 234 or 08450 705115 or mp5uk@weight-watchers.co.uk

Atkins Diet http://atkins.com/ Also see below

Exercises:  http://www.exrx.net/  ExRx.net (Exercise Prescription on the Net) is a free resource for the exercise professional, coach, or fitness enthusiast

The Atkins diet

In February 2004, it was revealed that Dr Atkins, the founder (and follower) of the diet, may have weighed over 18 stone (clinically obese) when he died and his medical history included hardening of the artery type heart disease (heart attack and heart failure). 

Is the Atkins diet safe?

Nobody knows but there may be a problem with safety over long term. In January 2004, the company behind the diet advised that calories from saturated fat should be limited to 20% of total intake. This will probably make the diet safer but takes away the central tenet of avoiding calorie counting.

The Atkins diet - good or bad?
Source: The Times Date: 15/08/2003
Another issue that has been hotly debated in the press this week is the Atkins diet - the immensely popular high-protein, low carbohydrate regime. The recent debate was sparked by the comments of Dr Susan Jebb, who indicated her concerns about the safety of the diet earlier in the week. Letters have been written to all the papers from devotees of the diet who praise it for its effectiveness, and one such letter is published today in The Times. Professor David Thomas, who says he lost some weight using the diet, argues that even modest obesity is unquestionably harmful to long-term wellbeing, and says that a possibly harmful short-term method to reduce this, such as the Atkins diet, is worth the risk.

Is Atkins diet effective and are there risks?
Source: Pulse (Medical newspaper) Date: 22/09/2003
Susan Jebb responded to the above question in the medical newspaper Pulse. She is head of nutrition and health research at the MRC Human Nutrition Research Centre, Cambridge (but also a paid advisor to the Flour Advisory Bureau).
"At one year, weight loss is no different from that achieved with a conventional low fat calorie controlled diet plan.
In clinical trials around a third of patients failed to complete the study, implying that adherence is poor. This is the critical issue for long term weight loss and maintenance.
The macronutrient composition..... is in direct contrast with international recommendations for reduction of chronic diseases.  The diet is nutritionally deficient in vitamins and minerals and patients should take supplements.
Theoretical risks include renal impairment and increased  calcium excretion due to chronic high protein consumption, together with increased risks of cancer and heart disease caused by the high fat/low carbohydrate content."

Saturday 17th January 2004: Atkins company says limit fat intake
The company behind the Atkins diet has now advised that fat intake be limited to 20% of total calories.  Click here for more information.

Low carbohydrate diets National Prescribing Centre Dec 2003

Low-carbohydrate diets, such as the Atkins diet, have become increasingly popular as an approach to weight loss. However, questions remain about their efficacy and safety.

 A recent systematic review of 94 studies of low carbohydrate dietary interventions found there was insufficient evidence to make recommendations for or against these diets. The studies varied too greatly in their design, diet duration and carbohydrate content, and the characteristics of the participants. In particular, there was inadequate evaluation of people ged 50 and older, those with existing risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD), such as hyperlipidaemia, hypertension or diabetes, and in those using the diets for longer than 90 days.1

 Two subsequent randomised controlled trials compared low-carbohydrate diets with conventional low-fat diets in obese people. They showed that weight loss was significantly greater with the low-carbohydrate diets than with the low-fat diets at six months.2,3 However, overall weight loss (around 6–7kg with the low-carbohydrate diets) and the difference in weight loss between diet groups (around 4kg in each trial) was small, given the excess weight carried by the obese participants (mean body mass index in the trials was 432 and 343). Furthermore, the significantly greater weight loss observed with the low carbohydrate diet at six months was not sustained in the one trial that followed participants for 12 months, indicating that diet adherence may be difficult.3   Both trials found that the weight loss that did occur was associated with diet duration and a reduced intake of calories, rather than reduced carbohydrate intake. Drop-out rates in both diet groups were high.2,3

 There have been concerns that low-carbohydrate diets may lead to adverse cardiovascular, renal, hepatic and skeletal effects in some people, due to accumulation of ketones and excessive consumption of animal proteins and fats.1, 4    However, both of the above trials indicated some improvements in the lipid profile of participants using the low carbohydrate diet compared with those using the conventional low-fat diet. However, these findings must be interpreted with caution.2,3  It is uncertain whether the improvements seen in some aspects of the lipid profile have the same beneficial effect on cardiovascular outcomes when consuming a diet that is high in saturated fat. In addition, the large amount of saturated fat and small amount of fruits, vegetables and fibre consumed on these diets could independently increase the risk of CHD.3 The skeletal, hepatic and renal effects of the diets were not considered in these trials.

 Given the uncertainties over the efficacy, safety and sustainability of low-carbohydrate diets, there is currently insufficient evidence to support this approach to weight loss in preference to a nutritionally balanced, low-fat diet combined with exercise, as recommended by the British Dietetic Association (BDA). People considering low-carbohydrate diets should be made aware of this. Further details and advice on the best approach to healthy weight control are available on the BDA website: www.bda.uk.com

 References

1 Bravata DM, Sanders L, Huang J, et al. Efficacy and safety of low carbohydrate diets: a systematic review. JAMA 2003;289:1837–50.

2 Samaha FF, Iqbal N, Seshadri P, et al. A low-carbohydrate as compared with a low-fat diet in severe obesity. N Engl J Med 2003;348:2074–81.

3 Foster GD, Wyatt HR, Hill JO, et al. A randomized trial of a low carbohydrate diet for obesity. N Engl J Med 2003:348:2082–90.

4 Bonow RO, Eckel RH. Diet, obesity, and cardiovascular risk. N Engl J Med 2003;348:2057–8.

Slim.Fast - "a vintage solution to your weight problem?"
Source: Daily Mail Date: 15/10/2003
Slim.Fast, a range of meal substitutes launched in the 1970s, has proven to be highly effective in weight control in one of the longest trials ever conducted. The study by researchers at Harvard Medical School concluded that Slim.Fast could help people live 50% longer than those who did not follow any weight control regime. Scientists monitored 130 men and women on Slim.Fast products and 154 in a control group who did not use meal replacements. Both groups were matched on the basis of body mass index, age, sex and race. Those who used Slim.Fast maintained an average weight loss of 6lb after ten years while those in the matched group gained almost 2st. This news may well be seized upon by the anti-Atkins contingent in the coming days.

Grapefruit diet really works, say scientists in US
Source: Daily Telegraph Date: 29/01/2004
Researchers working at the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Centre at Scripps Clinic, San Diego, have scientifically demonstrated the efficacy of the grapefruit diet. The diet has been popular with Western women for thirty years or more and may well reduce one's risk of diabetes by reducing levels of insulin and glucose. A three-month study showed that adults who ate half a grapefruit with each meal, three times a day, lost 3-6lb on average compared with people eating a similar diet without grapefruit, who lost only 0.5lb. The researchers believe that enzymes in grapefruit affect the way the body deals with sugar and make it less likely to be laid down as fat.

Is a good night's sleep the key to weight loss?
Source: Daily Mail Date: 29/01/2004
The American Institute for Cancer Research claims that a full night's sleep can be extremely beneficial to weight loss. Studies have found that the more one sleeps, the more efficiently the body metabolizes food and rids itself of excess weight. The claims have been greeted with scepticism by nutritionists and sleep experts, who believe that a lack of sleep is likely to be due to stress, which is the real cause of changes in the metabolism. They point out that although sleeping could potentially help with weight loss, people should still view a balanced diet and regular exercise as the driving factors. People tend to eat more when under stress, so the best advice is to reduce the stress.

Source: Daily Mail Date: 05/07/2004
Researchers in the US claim that sleeping longer can help you to lose weight. The study, published in the journal Sleep, found that just one hour extra in bed can help you lose weight. One of the chemicals released in sleep called leptin helps suppress the production of fat cells by curbing appetite. Another factor might be that the longer you stay up the more likely you are to eat. Those who put on the most weight slept for less than six hours a night.

High carbohydrate diets and breast cancer risk
Source: Daily Mail Date: 11/04/2005
This story concerns new findings on the links between high carbohydrate diets - or glycaemic index diets - and breast cancer formation. A study by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York claims that women who follow high-carb diets following the menopause can significantly increase the risk of breast cancer by 87 per cent. It is believed that high insulin levels, caused to run at high levels after eating carbohydrate-rich foods, may be linked to the development of the disease.

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