Atkins IS better than the GI diet at keeping off the pounds, say scientists

Now, scientists may have settled the debate with a study showing that an Atkins-like high protein diet stops slimmers from piling the pounds back on.

In contrast, the popular GI diet, which distinguishes between "good" and "bad" carbohydrates, seems to do nothing to prevent weight from creeping back up.

Professor Arne Astrup, president of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, said results from a study of 250 men and women showed that protein, not carbohydrate, was the key to the battle of the bulge.

Each was asked to follow a selection of diets for six months to work out the best recipe for maintaining weight loss. The diets contained high or low levels of protein, coupled with high or low GI foods.

At the end of the study, those following a high protein diet had done best, barely gaining any weight, no matter what the GI (glycaemic index) of their meals.

Those on a low protein diet piled on the pounds - even when eating lots of supposedly healthy low GI carbohydrates, the European Congress on Obesity heard yesterday.

It is thought the results can be explained by protein's ability to make us feel full for longer than carbohydrates. Protein is also more effective at speeding up the metabolism.

THE ATKINS DIET

A high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet followed by three million Britons at the height of its popularity in 2003.

Devised by Robert Atkins, a U.S. heart doctor, it involves eating huge amounts of protein while almost eliminating carbohydrates including fruit.

Breakfast might be a cheese omelette and bacon, followed by lunch of a cheeseburger minus the bun but with salad and dressing. Dinner might consist of fish with buttered vegetables.

Celebrity devotees included Renee Zellweger and Geri Halliwell and, at the height of Atkins mania, Britons snapped up more than 110,000 copies of the diet manual a week.

The plan fell out of favour after being dogged by side-effects such as constipation and mood-swings and allegations that it could increase the risk of heart disease and kidney problems.

THE GI DIET

This in-vogue diet distinguishes between "good" and "bad" carbohydrates.

"Good" carbs, such as beans, vegetables and wholemeal bread, have a low GI which means they slowly release energy from food, curbing hunger pangs.

In contrast, "bad" carbs, such as white bread, white rice and refined breakfast cereals, have a high GI and are less effective at keeping hunger at bay.

Breakfast could be porridge with wholemeal toast, followed by lentil soup for lunch and spaghetti with meat sauce for dinner.

On the plus side, it is easy to find low GI versions of most foods, making the diet relatively simple to follow.

But it can be difficult to work out the GI of an entire meal. And some low GI foods - such as chocolate and crisps - are high in fat or salt.