Sound too good to be true? Indeed it does, but there may be some truth to it after all.  

A new and extensive study reported this week in The New England Journal of Medicine provides evidence that a low-carb (Atkins style) diet is best for weight loss and improving health.

The study followed 300 people over a period of 2 years in which participants followed either a low-fat diet (as recommended by the American Heart Association), a Mediterranean diet, or a low-carb (Atkin's style) diet. What's interesting is that both the low-fat and Mediterranean diets were restricted to 1500 calories for women and 1800 calories for men, while the low-carb diet had no restrictions on calories or the amount of food eaten. 

The super-cool news is that the folks on a low-carb diet lost the most weight and produced the best blood lipid profiles at the end of the study, while the calorie restricted low fat diet produced the worst results. 

Mediterranean and low-carbohydrate diets may be effective alternatives to low-fat diets. The more favorable effects on lipids (with the low-carbohydrate diet) and on glycemic control (with the Mediterranean diet) suggest that personal preferences and metabolic considerations might inform individualized tailoring of dietary interventions...

 ...The similar caloric deficit achieved in all diet groups suggests that a low-carbohydrate, non–restricted-calorie diet may be optimal for those who will not follow a restricted-calorie dietary regimen.

So, ditch the low-fat (also known as high carb) diet and get on board today. Now's the time to think outside the box, explore your options, and make a change.

Science provides the evidence, you need to act on it.