ReZoom

This is the second in ReZoom's series about diets, some currently popular and others long-standing. We will look at what works, what doesn't work and at the end, wrap it up with a fun look at some really wrongheaded fad diets.

Remember when you first heard about the Atkins diet? Didn't eating prime rib — or any of the oft-shunned red meats — make you think you now had a diet you could stick with? Forget carbs, we thought. Who needs bread, when we could have all the Chateaubriand we wanted?

When the Atkins diet first came on the scene in the '70s, it took a lot of flak from those in the medical establishment who decried (some still do) that a diet so high in fat could result in weight loss. Nonetheless, weight loss occured. Though the long-term effects have yet to be documented, studies show that the short-term effects point to the Atkins diet as not only healthy but also instrumental in reversing signs of ill health such as high cholesterol levels.

"The Atkins diet is widely misunderstood to mean an all-meat diet. It's actually nothing of the sort. In its later versions, it's simply about a serious reduction of sugar and high-glycemic junk food," says nationally known nutrition and fitness guru Jonny Bowden.

During the diet's "induction" phase, dieters limit net carbs to 20 grams per day. They then slowly bring more carbohydrates in, many from vegetables, until an optimum carb intake matches their bodies' ability to keep weight off. The end result is still a very low-carbohydrate intake when compared with a standard American diet and the once-respected food pyramid.

"Glycemic Load" — Ugly Term, Pretty Good Concept

Some of the backlash came from the fact that the diet represented such a clear departure from prevailing theories, which had more to do with reducing fat intake than carbohydrate intake. Dr. Atkins maintained that there were some previously unrecognized factors about our eating habits: that obesity is not caused by fat but by refined carbohydrates, particularly sugar and flour. He also said the diet was not a license to gorge.

Thus was born the "low-carb craze," which now has watchers of carbs studying the "glycemic index" (GI) of their foods. The glycemic index ranks carbs according to their effect on blood glucose levels. Low GI carbs produce small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels, and high GI carbs create high fluctuations. The less fluctuation in blood sugar level the better.

Atkins Stands Up Under Scrutiny

A recent study from Sanford University, Bowden notes, bodes well for the diet's credibility as not only a diet but also as a life-long style of eating.

"The latest research from Stanford tested the Atkins diet against three other well-known plans and after a year, Atkins dieters had the best results," says Bowden. "Most impressive about this study — and about many other similar ones — is that none of the 'expected' risk factors went up, and in fact, blood lipids (triglycerides, cholesterol) showed significant improvements. The take-home is not that the Atkins diet is the 'answer' to health and weight loss, but that the Atkins principle of cutting back on sugar and starch is extremely valuable, especially when combined with a high-fiber diet."

Still, some health providers have concerns about the long-term effects. For some, the diet is a windfall. For others who cannot stay away from high-glycemic foods, this diet is not for them. This also may be the reason for the diet's high attrition rates.

Coming up in the series: The South Beach Diet, The Zone Diet and Weight Watcher's point system.

Look for more from Jonny Bowden when he becomes a regular contributor for ReZoom next month. Bowden is the author of "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth," "Jonnny Bowden's Shape Up!" and "Jonny Bowden's Shape Up Workbook."