Those high fat, low carb diets that doctors warned may be dangerous, could be the quickest way to shed pounds, safely.
Bern Jackson was packing on the pounds through her midsection. Her nutritionist suggested a low carbohydrate, high fat diet.
"You feel like you can just get up and do what you gotta do and feel good," said Jackson.
After the explosion in popularity of Atkins and similar diets that advise more meats and fewer carbs, doctors went on the defensive saying this was one recipe not to follow because it could lead to heart disease, but a new Johns Hopkins study says these diets don't harm the arteries, at least in the short term.
"We found no evidence of any change in our measures of vascular health," said Kerry Stewart, one of the researchers at Johns Hopkins.
According to the study, participants who exercised on a high fat diet also lost weight faster - ten pounds in 45 days. Those who exercised on a low fat, high carb diet took 70 days to lose the same amount of weight.
But the study only followed 46 patients for three months.
"What will affect your arteries may take a long time to build up so in the beginning it all seems well," explained nutrionist Karen Congro. "But eventually if you remain on a very high saturated fat, we know for a fact you probably will have a problem."
Jackson isn't worried. She's lost 18 pounds in 9 weeks.
Researchers plan to test the study participants again in six months to find longer term results.
Bern Jackson was packing on the pounds through her midsection. Her nutritionist suggested a low carbohydrate, high fat diet.
"You feel like you can just get up and do what you gotta do and feel good," said Jackson.
After the explosion in popularity of Atkins and similar diets that advise more meats and fewer carbs, doctors went on the defensive saying this was one recipe not to follow because it could lead to heart disease, but a new Johns Hopkins study says these diets don't harm the arteries, at least in the short term.
"We found no evidence of any change in our measures of vascular health," said Kerry Stewart, one of the researchers at Johns Hopkins.
According to the study, participants who exercised on a high fat diet also lost weight faster - ten pounds in 45 days. Those who exercised on a low fat, high carb diet took 70 days to lose the same amount of weight.
But the study only followed 46 patients for three months.
"What will affect your arteries may take a long time to build up so in the beginning it all seems well," explained nutrionist Karen Congro. "But eventually if you remain on a very high saturated fat, we know for a fact you probably will have a problem."
Jackson isn't worried. She's lost 18 pounds in 9 weeks.
Researchers plan to test the study participants again in six months to find longer term results.
