AN “ALTERNATIVE” Atkins diet, which avoids the wrong kinds of carbohydrate, could be the key to the ultimate weight-loss regime, research suggests.
An animal study has provided such clear evidence of the diet’s health benefits that scientists are recruiting volunteers for a large-scale trial on humans. It showed that the “Atkins alternative” can help dieters shed pounds, reduce body fat and reduce risk factors for diabetes and heart disease. The traditional Atkins diet seeks to minimise consumption of all kinds of carbohydrates. But the low glycaemic index (low GI) diet distinguishes between “good” and “bad” carbohydrates.
Foods with a low GI are low in sugar, or release sugar slowly. High GI carbohydrates, such as white bread, refined breakfast cereals and concentrated sugars are rapidly digested and cause a surge of blood glucose and insulin. Low GI carbohydrates release their sugar more slowly and avoid the glucose and insulin “spike”. They include whole grains, most fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans.
In the study, rats were fed tightly controlled diets with identical nutrients, except for the type of carbohydrate starch. Both groups of animals were given diets composed of 69 per cent carbohydrates. But 11 rats were randomly assigned to high-GI starch and ten to low-GI starch. After 18 weeks the high GI group had 71 per cent more body fat and 8 per cent less lean body mass than the low GI group, despite similar body weights.
The results from the American study were published today in The Lancet medical journal. David Ludwig, who led the team, said: “The study shows that glycaemic index is an independent factor that can have dramatic effects on the major chronic diseases plaguing developed nations — obesity, diabetes and heart disease.”