Low-Carb Diet Study
Rachel Oesch
WDEF News 12
Jun 16, 2004 8:21 AM EDT
Nutrition experts hate it. But dieters love it. The low-carb
craze is still gaining in popularity.
Here's Rachel Oesch to show us why one researcher says
critics should keep an open mind.
POUND FOR POUND, JUDY GURLITZ JOKES SHE JUST MIGHT BE THE
WEIGHT-LOSS CHAMP.
Judy Gurlitz "My husband is fond of saying I've lost 3,000
pounds since we've been married."
NOW SHE SAYS HER DAYS OF YO-YO DIETING ARE OVER. IN A
SIX MONTH STUDY AT DUKE MEDICAL CENTER, SHE LOST 30
POUNDS ON ATKINS.
Judy Gurlitz "The great thing about the diet was the results
were so fast and it gave you incentive to stay on the diet."
RESEARCHER WILL YANCY COMPARED THE CONTROVERSIAL LOW-
CARB DIET WITH A LOW-FAT DIET AND CAME UP WITH SOME
SURPRISING RESULTS.
Will Yancy, M.D. "What we found out is the low carbohydrate
dieters lost more weight. More interestingly we also found
that their cholesterol seemed to improve more than the low-
fat dieters."
THE ATKINS DIET CONTRADICTS EVERYTHING WE KNOW AS HEALTHY
EATING. BUT IN LIGHT OF THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC, YANCY SAYS
HE'S KEEPING AN OPEN MIND.
Will Yancy, M.D. "When we've gone through the last 20 years
with the low-fat diet as the only option for people to lose
weight, it's nice to have another option for people with
different food preferences and different responses to diet."
JUDY SAYS THE LOW-CARB DIET SLOWED DOWN HER APPETITE, SO SHE
WAS ABLE TO EAT FEWER CALORIES - AND EVENTUALLY LESS FAT.
Judy Gurlitz "I would replace things in the diet by putting
in more salad vegetables and then maybe not even be able to
eat the amount of meat that I had made or fish that I had
made for that evening. It was very interesting. I feel much
healthier when I'm on the diet."
AND THE FORMER YO-YO DIETER IS HAPPIER WITH HER SCALE.
DURING THE STUDY, MORE LOW-CARB DIETERS REPORTED
CONSTIPATION AND HEADACHES, BUT THEY WERE MORE LIKELY TO
STICK TO THEIR DIET THAN THE LOW-FAT GROUP.