In the first well-controlled study of the Atkins diet Guenther Boden, M.D., from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia and colleagues found that people who went on the diet simply lowered their average daily calorie consumption by about 1,000 calories. They did so on their own, as the diet allows people to eat as much fat and protein as they want, and when carbohydrates were restricted, people spontaneously reduced their caloric intake to a level appropriate for their height. They concluded that excessive overeating had been fuelled by carbohydrates.

All 10 people in the study were obese and had type 2 diabetes, and all stayed in the hospital during the study so accurate measurements were taken of everything they ate. Earlier studies of the diet were conducted among people living at home who self-reported how well they stuck to the diet, so many of the results were questionable.

Scientists in the past have suspected that the weight loss seen in people on the Atkins diet is mainly due to water weight loss or a stepped up metabolism. This research has found no evidence of this, nor did they find anything to support another popular assumption, which is that people eat less on Atkins because they get bored with the food choices. Says Boden of his study participants: They weren ™t bored with the food choices. In fact, they loved the diet.

In addition to losing weight, the study subjects also experienced improved blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity, and they lowered their cholesterol and triglycerides.

Al-Abed and his associates hope that the experimental compound can one day be developed into a long-acting oral drug that could be taken by prediabetic people to achieve lasting protection, perhaps a lifetime. But such a drug would take years to develop and test, the researchers caution. Likewise, effective gene therapy against the disease may take many years to develop, they add.

Besides prevention, ISO-1 also is being tested in animals to determine whether it will help in the actual treatment of ongoing type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes, the more common type. Results are not yet available from these tests, the researchers say.

Although nobody knows the exact cause of type 1 diabetes, and there is no cure, the disease can be controlled and its complications minimized by following a healthy diet, getting exercise and taking prescribed medications as directed, according to health experts.

The Institute for Medical Research at North Shore-LIJ provided funding for this study.

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