Scientists belonging to Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of Australia in their book, 'The Total Wellbeing Diet', say that consuming protein in large quantities can help people shed weight.
This diet, which is similar to the one espoused by Dr.Atkins, was criticized by some health experts.
An editorial in the magazine 'Nature' says that this kind of eating would benefit only a few persons. It said: “The diet is being promoted as beneficial for everyone, whereas the published research indicates that it is superior to a high-carbohydrate diet only for a sub-population of overweight women with symptoms of metabolic disorder.”
Even the British Dietetic Association disagrees with this theory. Helen Stracey of this association says: “The proportion of protein in a reducing diet will typically be around 20% and should provide a minimum of 15% at least. She added: “The only way to lose weight is to take in fewer calories than you need, or to use up more calories by being more active.”
However, all this has not affected the sales of the book which has sold over 500,000 in copies in Australia since its release in May. Authored by Manny Noakes and Peter Clifton, this book advises people to consume more meat and fish during lunch as well as dinner.
The authors came to their conclusion after studying the results on 100 women. They found that women with high triglyceride levels who were given a high-protein diet shed more weight than others. According to the authors, both diets contained the same calorie quantity.
This book is scheduled to be launched in the US in 2006.
