Diet

At one time more than a million people in the UK were following low-carbohydrate diets particularly when this was popularised in the Atkins Diet but their popularity has waned.

Atkins Diet or just 'Atkins', is a well-known low-carbohydrate diet created by Dr.Robert Atkins from a diet he read in the Journal of the American Medical Association and utilized to resolve his own overweight condition. He later popularized the Atkins diet in a series of books, starting with Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution in 1972.

Various factors, however, led to its dwindling success and the company founded by Dr. Atkins in 1989, Atkins Nutritionals bankruptcy in 2005, two years after the death of Dr. Atkins.

Dr. Atkins rejected the conventional advice instead asserting that the increase in refined carbohydrates is responsible for the rise in metabolic disorders of the 20th century, and that the focus on the detrimental effects of dietary fat has actually contributed to the obesity problem by increasing the proportion of insulin-inducing foods in the diet.

The Atkins diet involves the restriction of carbohydrates in order to switch the body's metabolism from burning glucose to burning stored body fat. Many incorrectly believed that the Atkins Diet promoted eating unlimited amounts of fatty meats and cheeses. This is a key point of clarification that Dr. Atkins addressed in the revisions of his book. Although the Atkins Diet does not impose limits on certain foods, or caloric restriction in general, Dr. Atkins pointed out that this plan is "not a license to gorge."

An attraction of these diets is that they offer an unlimited quantity of protein foods such as meat, fish and eggs together with unlimited fats including butter but virtually no carbohydrates such as cereals.

• Proponents of the Atkins diet believe that these diets reduce digestible energy.
• Opponents believe that the Atkins diet is self limiting because it is not palatable long-term.

The British Diabetic Association could not recommend this solution as it could have adverse effects on the kidneys and heart.

Research has confirmed quick short-term weight loss with the Atkins diet but the medium (six months) and long-term loss is no better than other diets.