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3 July 2006
Survey Highlights Changes In Dieting 
Perhaps unsurprisingly, thanks to the Atkins Diet, the fat intake of successful weight losers has increased over the past decade, while carbohydrate intake has declined. The finding, by researchers at The Miriam Hospital and Brown Medical School, and University of Colorado, is detailed in a research paper appearing in the April 2006 issue of Obesity Research. "Our findings suggest that to successfully maintain weight loss, dieters may be able to vary their diet over time," says Suzanne Phelan, lead author of the study. "When the National Weight Control Registry was created 10 years ago, members reported consuming a low-calorie, very low-fat diet and engaging in high levels of physical activity to maintain weight loss - what we wanted to determine in this study is whether the eating and exercise habits of participants enrolling in the Registry had changed over the past decade." The study was based on the dieting behaviors of the more than 2700 individuals who enrolled in the National Weight Control Registry during the years 1995 to 2003. "We found that participants who enrolled in the Registry in more recent years, reported consuming an increased number of calories from fat, and fewer carbohydrates compared to those who enrolled in 1995," says Phelan. For the period 1995 - 2003, the daily percentage of calories consumed from fat increased from 24 percent to 29 percent, while calories from carbohydrates decreased from 56 percent to 49 percent. Additionally, saturated fat intake in Registry participants increased from 12.3 grams per day to 16.6 grams per day in later years. "Despite the increase in fat intake, the consumption of fat that the participants reported in later years continued to remain within recommended levels and well below the national average," explains Phelan. "However, potentially more troubling is the increase in saturated fat intake - the type most closely linked to an increase in heart disease." The researchers believe that the rise in popularity of the low carbohydrate diets might explain the shift in more recent years to participants consuming consistently lower amounts of carbohydrates. "In the sample as a whole - Registry members who maintained a low-calorie diet with moderate fat intake, limited their fast food consumption, and sustained high levels of physical activity, reported continued success in weight loss maintenance one year later," says co-researcher Rena Wing. Source: Obesity Research
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