Three popular diets, the Atkins, South Beach and Ornish, may all help you take off weight, but which one may put you at higher risk of heart disease after only one month University of Maryland medical researchers compared the three diets for their impact on cholesterol, their effect on the lining of blood vessels and the presence of inflammation associated with hardening.
They found that people on the Atkins Diet, which is 50 percent fat, experience increased levels of "bad" (LDL) cholesterol, as well as a negative change in blood vessel dilation and an increase in markers for inflammation. The South Beach Diet is 30 percent fat, while the fat content of the Ornish Diet is 10 percent.
The study was led by Michael Miller, M.D., director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore and associate professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. In this interview with Bill Seiler, Dr. Miller describes the study findings and discusses the connection between fat and the risk of heart disease, even if you are on a diet.
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