Weight-Loss Diets for the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity

No medical condition has generated as many dietary remedies as obesity. All diets have their followers, but hard data on the efficacy of the diets are scarce. In this issue of the Journal, Sacks et al.¹ report the results of a large, long-term trial that tested the efficacy of weight-loss diets that were high or low in carbohydrates, protein, or fat. High-carbohydrate, low-fat diets became popular approximately 20 years ago, when it was thought that calories from carbohydrates were less fattening than the same number of calories from fat. A high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet was popularized by Dr. Robert Atkins in . . .