Glycemic Index not that important in weight control

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This study refutes Atkins' philosophy:

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/4/1023

Long-term effects of 2 energy-restricted diets differing in glycemic

load on dietary adherence, body composition, and metabolism in CALERIE

Background:There remains no consensus about the optimal dietary

composition for sustained weight loss.

Objective:The objective was to examine the effects of 2 dietary

macronutrient patterns with different glycemic loads on adherence to a

prescribed regimen of calorie restriction (CR), weight and fat loss,

and related variables.

Design:A randomized controlled trial (RCT) of diets with a high

glycemic load (HG) or a low glycemic load (LG) at 30% CR was conducted

in 34 healthy overweight adults with a mean (±SD) age of 35 ± 6 y and

body mass index (kg/m2) of 27.6 ± 1.4. All food was provided for 6 mo

in diets controlled for confounding variables, and subjects

self-administered the plans for 6 additional months. Primary and

secondary outcomes included energy intake measured by doubly labeled

water, body weight and fatness, hunger, satiety, and resting metabolic

rate.

Results:All groups consumed significantly less energy during CR than

at baseline (P < 0.01), but changes in energy intake, body weight,

body fat, and resting metabolic rate did not differ significantly

between groups. Both groups ate more energy than provided (eg, 21% and

28% CR at 3 mo and 16% and 17% CR at 6 mo with HG and LG,

respectively). Percentage weight change at 12 mo was †" 8.04 ± 4.1% in

the HG group and †" 7.81 ± 5.0% in the LG group. There was no effect of

dietary composition on changes in hunger, satiety, or satisfaction

with the amount and type of provided food during CR.

Conclusions:These findings provide more detailed evidence to suggest

that diets differing substantially in glycemic load induce comparable

long-term weight loss.

From the Mayer US Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition

Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA (SKD, CHG,

JKG, PJF, RAC, ST, MT, MAM, AHL, GED, and SBR); Tufts†" New England

Medical Center Hospital, Boston, MA (AGP and ES); the National

Institute of Aging, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD (CD);

the Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, NC (MVB); and the

Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA (JPD)