Study Comparing Atkins Diet With The Zone, LEARN, and Ornish Diets

The Journal of the American Medical Association recently (March 2007) published the findings from a Stanford University study comparing the weight loss effects of 4 diets. The four diets included in the study were the very low carbohydrate Atkins Diet, the Zone Diet, and the less well known Ornish and LEARN diets.

The study lasted a year, and included 311 overweight and obese women, who were divided into the 4 groups, 1 for each of the diets being compared. The conclusion was that the Atkins diet performed the best in terms of weight loss, with no apparent ill effects from the very low carb diet. On the contrary, the Atkins group showed the highest decrease in triglycerides, one of the blood fats that has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease. Additionally, the Atkins group showed the biggest increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which is a protective type of cholesterol, plus the best figures for reduction in blood pressure.

When you look at the end results, though, they are not too much to get excited about. After one year, the Atkins group had an average weight loss of 10.4, compared to 3.5 for the Zone diet, 5.7 for LEARN, and 4.9 for Ornish. Better than no weight loss at all, of course, but with a number of the participants classed as obese, the scope for loss was probably much higher.

I'm not a scientist, but the methodology used does not seem to indicate a strict comparison of the actual diets, as they were not strictly imposed under controlled conditions. Each participant was given a book about the diet they were assigned, and told to follow it. While that is probably what happens in real life, it does not seem to be a conclusive way to prove that one or the other diet is the best, as so many other factors come into play that are outside the researchers control. However, a comparison it is, and some Atkins followers will be pleased with the results revealed in the Journal of the American Medical Association .