The Safety and Effectiveness of Low and High Carbohydrate Diets - Full Text View

Purpose

This study will compare the safety and the effectiveness of a low carbohydrate diet (Atkins diet) with a high carbohydrate diet (conventional USDA diet).

Condition	Intervention	Phase
Obesity	Behavioral: Low-calorie diet Behavioral: low-carbohydrate diet	Phase IV

MedlinePlus related topics:

Obesity

U.S. FDA Resources

Study Type:	Interventional
Study Design:	Treatment, Randomized, Open Label, Uncontrolled, Parallel Assignment, Safety/Efficacy Study

Official Title:	The Safety and Efficacy of Low and High Carbohydrate Diets

Further study details as provided by National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM):

Primary Outcome Measures:

weight change [ Time Frame: 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]

Secondary Outcome Measures:

change in lipids [ Time Frame: 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
blood pressure change [ Time Frame: 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
Ketones [ Time Frame: 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
Endothelial Function [ Time Frame: 2 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
change in exercise endurance [ Time Frame: 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
change in renal function [ Time Frame: 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
change in bone density [ Time Frame: 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
change in body composition [ Time Frame: 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Enrollment:	307
Study Start Date:	April 2003
Estimated Study Completion Date:	March 2008
Estimated Primary Completion Date:	March 2008 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)

Arms	Assigned Interventions
1: Active Comparator Low-calorie diet	Behavioral: Low-calorie diet low-calorie diet
2: Experimental Low-carbohydrate diet	Behavioral: low-carbohydrate diet low-carbohydrate diet

Detailed Description:

Despite the considerable mass appeal of popular diet books, such diet approaches lack data to support their efficacy and safety. Despite its widespread use for more than 30 years, the Atkins diet has never been evaluated in a large, randomized, controlled trial. This study will assess the short-term and long-term clinical effects of a low-carbohydrate diet and a high-carbohydrate diet in overweight and obese men and women.

Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to the Atkins diet (low-carbohydrate, unlimited fat and protein) or a conventional USDA diet (high-carbohydrate, low-fat). The study will evaluate the effects of each dietary approach on changes in: 1) weight and body composition; 2) metabolic and organ function; and 3) exercise tolerance. Each participant will be enrolled in the study for 2 years.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:	18 Years to 65 Years
Genders Eligible for Study:	Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:	Yes

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

Body mass index between 30 and 40
Live and work within 1 hour of the study site
Stable psychological status

Exclusion criteria

History of heart disease, heart attack, or stroke
Blood pressure >140/90 mmHg
Abnormal cholesterol levels
Significant psychiatric illness
Any medication that affects weight or metabolic rate
Presence or history of a chronic disease that is known to affect appetite, food intake, or metabolism (i.e., diabetes, thyroid disease, or cancer)
Currently using antidepressants, steroids, tobacco, or illegal drugs
Pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning pregnancy
10 lb change in weight within 6 months of study entry
History of malignant arrhythmias or cerebrovascular, renal, or hepatic disease
History of protein wasting diseases or gout
Severe arthritis
Osteoporosis
Certain types of hormone replacement therapy
Currently following a vegetarian diet

Contacts and Locations

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00079547

Locations


United States, Colorado
	University of Colorado
	Denver, Colorado, United States, 80262

United States, Missouri
	Washington University
	St. Louis, Missouri, United States, 63110

United States, Pennsylvania
	University of Pennsylvania
	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104

Sponsors and Collaborators

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)

Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Investigators


Principal Investigator:	Gary D Foster, PhD	University of Pennsylvania

Principal Investigator:	Holly Wyatt, MD	University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center

Principal Investigator:	James Hill, PhD	University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center

Principal Investigator:	Samuel Klein, MD	Washington University School of Medicine

More Information

Responsible Party:	Temple University ( Gary D. Foster, Ph.D. )
Study ID Numbers:	R01 AT001103-01, R01 AT001103-01
First Received:	March 9, 2004
Last Updated:	January 2, 2008
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00079547
Health Authority:	United States: Federal Government

Keywords provided by National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM):

Weight Loss

Study placed in the following topic categories:

Body Weight

Signs and Symptoms

Obesity

Weight Loss

Nutrition Disorders

Overweight

Overnutrition

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on November 30, 2008

Sponsors and Collaborators:	National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Information provided by:	National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00079547