Study compares low-carb and low-fat diets

• It may not be a question for the ages, but Americans continue to wonder whether low-carbohydrate diets are a safe and effective way to lose body fat.
• Dr. Carol-Jean Segal-Isaacson is working to answer that question.
• Though scientists need to conduct more research into the long-term effects of low-carb diets, Segal-Isaacson said low-carb diets appear to do a better job of controlling triglycerides, one factor in heart disease, than low-fat diets.
• "The modern version of the Atkins Diet focuses on lower-fat protein sources, such as chicken and fish, with more moderate amounts of red meats," Segal-Isaacson said.
• Meat consumption is not the only threat to heart health, Segal-Isaacson said.
• "Sugars, simple carbohydrates, can also be a risk factor.
• An important question to be answered is whether a drop in triglycerides counters the increase in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol that some people experience on low-carb diets.
• High levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and low levels of HDL cholesterol, increase the risk of heart disease.
• Segal-Isaacson points out that the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association are moving away from the stance that the low-fat diet is always the best diet for everyone.
• "I think there's a growing consensus that the Mediterranean diet may be a better health recommendation.
• Segal-Isaacson is participating in CCARBS (The Controlled Carbohydrate Assessment Registry Bank Study), an Internet-based study, started in 2003, that is tracking 2,499 subjects' ability to adhere to low-carb diets and their ability to lose weight.
• The first year's data suggests only 30.3 percent of the 277 respondents lost more than 5 pounds, 34.7 percent basically maintained their weight and 35 percent gained weight.
• That weight gain resulted from increased intake of carbohydrates and a decrease in physical activity, Segal-Isaacson said.