Health article index >> Two Popular Diets Put To the Test In one corner, a strict low-fat, mainly vegetarian diet. In the other corner, the popular "Atkins" diet that promotes meat, fat and dairy. The referee: the federal government. U.S. Department of Agriculture Dan Glickman announced a comparative study of the two diets during the National Nutrition Summit held this week in Washington, D.C. Millions of Americans have tried one or the other or their variations. The Atkins diet, created by cardiologist Dr. Robert Atkins, calls for high-protein, low-carbohydrate meals and allows people struggling to lose weight to eat bacon cheeseburgers (without the buns) and scrambled eggs. People have reportedly lost weight on this plan, but the diet has been heavily criticized -- particularly by the American Dietetic Association -- for placing people's health at risk. Critics charge so much fat and protein can damage the kidneys and bones. The extremely low-fat diet, developed and promoted by fellow cardiologist Dr. Dean Ornish, who is also president and director of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, Calif., claims to actually reverse heart disease. Findings supporting the benefits of this eating plan have been published in reputable medical journals including The Lancet and the Journal of the American Medical Association. Findings supporting or disproving the Atkins diet have not been published. USDA researchers will place two groups of people on an Atkins-like diet and an Ornish-like diet to see how much weight they lose and how the two diets affect their overall health. A panel of scientists will developa protocol for the USDA study later this year. Cyndi Thomson, a spokeswoman from the American Dietetic Association and a nutrition expert at the University of Arizona, tells OnHealth that whatever the findings turn out to be, she hopes they won't be perceived by the public as endorsing a "magic diet." Diets, she says, "need to be individualized" and a one-diet-for-all approach doesn't work. It's not yet known when the study will be completed and the findings published. http://onhealth.com Copyright © 2000 OnHealth Network Company. All rights reserved. Health article index >> News I Health I Wellness I Exercise I Profiles I Business I Links I Women ROCK! Product Review I To the Point I Contact I Home Created by: Art Street Design Studio. © Concerning Women Communications, Inc. all rights reserved.