After looking at hundreds of diet plans, they all will generally fall into one of four diet types:
* Dr Atkins Diet (low-carbohydrate: maximum 20 gm daily initially, increasing to 50 gm daily)
* Zone Diet (macronutrient balance with a carbohydrate-fat-protein ratio 40-30-30)
* Weight Watchers Diet (counting calories to achieve between 1,200 and 1,600 kcal daily)
* Ornish Diet (low-fat: vegetarian, with less than 10% of energy from fat)
Studies show that of the four types of diet plans the results are amazingly similar. Following are
the results of a year long study conducted by John Hopkins University.
There were 40 participants in each diet group - half of them were men, half women. Their ages
ranged from 22 to 72, and their average body mass index (BMI) was 35 (ranging from 27 to 42).
A disappointingly small number of participants completed the 1-year study - 53% for Dr Atkins diet,
65% for Zone, 65% for Weight Watchers, and 50% for Ornish. In assessing the results of dieting, it
was assumed that those who didn't complete the study had zero change from baseline.
For those completing the study, after 1 year there was an average loss of:
* 2.1 kg (4.6 lb) for Atkins,
* 3.2 kg (7.1 lb) for Zone,
* 3.2 (6.6 lb) for Weight Watchers, and
* 3.3 kg (7.3 lb) for Ornish.
About 10% of the participants lost more than 10% of their body weight. There was no significant
difference between the four groups.
There were no significant effects on blood pressure or fasting blood sugar, but the ratio of low- to
high-density lipoprotein was reduced (a beneficial change) with all four diets, by about 10%.
The amount of individual weight lost was, not surprisingly, linked to the degree of adherence to
diet, but also to reduction in CRP blood levels and insulin levels. Here, too, there were no
differences between the effects of the four diets.
What does all of this mean?
This study shows that there is little difference between four different types of diet - low-carb,
balanced carb-protein-fat, counting calories, and low-fat. All four had a high (over 50%) drop-out
rate, and produced only moderate weight loss and cardiac risk reduction.
In summary, it's obvious that sticking with a diet will achieve a better result in both weight reduction
and lessened cardiac risk factors. No single diet was better than another in these respects, or
more effective than another. So, forget the latest fad diet. Instead of spending time and money
trying to determine which diet is the right one, you should start one that you believe you can stick
to - and then stick to it!
Source
Comparison of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers, and Zone diets for weight loss and heart
disease risk reduction. ML. Dansinger, JA. Gleason, JL. Griffith, et al., JAMA, 2005, vol. 293, pp.
43--53
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TYPES OF DIET PLANS