Can You Stay On The Atkins Diet For A Long Time?

A ketogenic diet like the Atkins diet program focuses on body fat loss by restricting carbohydrates. Ketogenic, or low-carbohydrate, diets allow your body to burn ketones, or fatty acids, as the primary fuel instead of sugar. According to a 2007 study published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association," ketogenic diets have displayed greater effectiveness for long-term weight reduction than low-fat diets. Consult a health care professional before beginning any dietary program.

Atkins Diet Basics

The basis of the Atkins diet relies on heavily restricting carbohydrate intake, eliminating all non-fibrous carbohydrates. This allows your sugar levels to drop in both your bloodstream and muscles. When you have dropped a sufficient quantity of sugar, your body begins to burn more fats, or ketones, for fuel. A small amount of carbohydrate will always be burned, but when your primary fuel is fat, you have achieved the dietary state known as ketosis.

Atkins Diet Effects

To get the most out of the Atkins diet, you cannot just load up on fat: You must still control your calories. An advantage of the Atkins diet is that, in comparison to the food pyramid, you are eating more protein and fat. Both fat and protein have a noticeable effect on reducing the hunger impulse, according to a 2011 study published in "Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases." This will make it easier to control your caloric intake and lose body fat.

Long-Term Atkins Diet

While there has been little in the way of long-term studies done on ketogenic diets in healthy individuals, research has been performed on specific populations. Children with grand mal epilepsy have been placed on ketogenic diets as a method of seizure control for periods of up to five years, and this practice has been used by the Mayo Clinic since 1921. Other specific populations such as the Inuit peoples inhabiting the Arctic Circle in North America have engaged in ketogenic dieting for significant periods of their cultural heritage. The Inuit display lower incidence of cardiovascular disease despite getting a significant portion of their calories from fat.

Maintaining Long-Term Ketosis

While it is quite possible to maintain an Atkins-type diet for a long time, there are factors that should be addressed for optimal health. As you are not eating much in the way of carbohydrates, it can be difficult to get all of the vitamins and minerals that you need. For this reason Dr. Atkins recommends a multivitamin and mineral supplement on a daily basis. As your sugar levels drop, you will lose some of your ability to store water, so you may wish to increase your water intake. Get at least 64 oz. of water on a daily basis. Please consult a health care provider before using any supplement.