I pasted entire article, from a major Canadian national daily newspaper, Globe and Mail. Often newspaper articles are not freely avaible on their Internet website after a few days. (There is full access but often user has to pay.) Author is a registered dietician who writes a regular column for this paper and has published several books on diet, exercise, health in past 5 years.

Get heart smart when looking for a pound-shedding plan
LESLIE BECK

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

October 10, 2007 at 12:22 PM EDT

If you're looking to shed a few pounds, there's no shortage of diet books to consult. Over the past three decades, our rising obesity epidemic has been accompanied by a proliferation of weight-loss plans, each promising to make you slim with its own rationale.

The high-protein Atkins for Life, the hormone-balancing A Week in the Zone diet, the ultra low-fat, vegetarian Eat More, Weigh Less plan by Dean Ornish, and the low-glycemic New Glucose Revolution are just a few of the titles.

Given that having a wider waistline substantially boosts the risk of heart disease, an optimal weight-loss plan should promote weight loss and a healthy heart.

Yet, according to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, popular diet books vary considerably in their ability to positively affect heart health. While some scored well for including hearty-healthy foods, others barely got a passing grade.


Enough is enough
Getting enough water? I'll drink to that
More fat than a Big Mac
The sweet side of dark chocolate - a tiny bit a day lowers blood pressure
A new wave of juices – a new wave of claims
Watch your greens
Vitamin D: Will it fight disease where others have failed?
A new wave of juices - a new wave of claims
Half-baked kitchen wisdom could put you at risk
Another failed diet? Blame hormones
Fuelling up to hit the trails
When good foods do bad things
Frappuccinos: summer's liquid cheeseburger


In the study, researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School rated eight popular diet plans that made it onto the New York Times bestseller list over the past five years. Contenders included the Atkins Diet (100-gram and 45-gram carbohydrate plans), the South Beach Diet (phases 2 and 3), the Zone Diet, the Ornish Diet, and the New Glucose Revolution.

Weight Watchers, the largest commercial weight-loss plan, which has high-carbohydrate and high-protein versions, was also included in the comparison, and so was the current U.S. government recommendation, the 2005 USDA Food Guide Pyramid (MyPyramid).

Scoring was based on seven dietary components strongly linked to protection from heart disease: fruits, vegetables, nuts and soy, ratio of white to red meat, cereal fibre, low in trans fat, and ratio of polyunsaturated fat (fish and vegetables oils) to saturated (animal) fat. Each factor counted for a possible 10 points; a perfect overall score was 70.

While no diet achieved a perfect score, some significantly outperformed others in terms of heart health. The highest-performing plans - Ornish, Weight Watchers High Carbohydrate and the New Glucose Revolution - scored well because they included more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and contained less trans fat.

The worst performers - the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet and Weight Watchers High Protein - lost points because they were higher in red meat and trans fat and lower in fruit and cereal fibre. Over the longer term, the intake of saturated fat combined with trans fat may put dieters at risk for heart disease.

An unexpected finding was that the 2005 USDA Food Guide Pyramid, based on current dietary recommendations for Americans, fared worse than the Ornish plan, the New Glucose Revolution and the Weight Watchers High Carbohydrate plan.

Like Canada's Food Guide, MyPyramid advises people to consume seven combined daily servings of fruits and vegetables, rather than the higher amounts in the other diets. While higher intakes of fruits and vegetables are recommended for heart disease prevention, it's not known whether increasing your intake from seven to 11 daily servings (as in the New Glucose Revolution) offers further protection.

There's no question that losing excess weight can improve your health. Even if you don't have high cholesterol or high blood pressure, achieving a healthy weight can reduce your future risk for developing heart disease (not to mention Type 2 diabetes and certain cancers).

It's possible to lose weight with most diets - at least for the short term. But since dietary change is meant to be long term, whether a diet helps maximize cardiovascular health should also be considered when choosing a weight-loss plan.

Depending on what foods a diet encourages you to eat, or to avoid, you might be jeopardizing your health and your nutrient intake.

When shopping for a plan, consider the following to help you choose one that's friendly to your arteries as well as your waistline:

Does the plan

exclude a food?

A sound weight-loss plan should include all four food groups: fruits and vegetables; meat and alternatives; milk and alternatives, and grain products. Foods that promote heart health should be emphasized such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains, high-fibre cereals, legumes, nuts, fish and unsaturated vegetable oils.

Does the plan rely on

specially purchased foods?

Eating pre-packaged, pre-portioned meals requires little effort, but eventually you'll have to learn how to eat healthfully in the real world. Skills such as label reading, healthy cooking, portion control and navigating restaurant menus are keys to keeping the pounds off.

Is the plan based

on realistic goals?

Healthy weight-loss diets promote a loss of one to two pounds per week. Women should eat at least 1,200 calories per day; men should eat at least 1,600.

Does the plan

promote exercise?

A weight-loss plan should encourage 30 to 60 minutes of exercise most days of the week. Regular exercise reduces the risk of heart disease and makes it more likely you'll maintain your weight loss.

Is it good for your kids?

If you're a parent, consider whether the diet promotes a way of eating that's healthy for your kids. If it's not good for them, it's not healthy enough for you.

Finally, ask yourself if you would feel comfortable eating this way for the rest of your life.

If not, it's a short-term solution that won't work.

Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based dietitian at the Medcan Clinic, is on CTV's Canada AM every Wednesday. Visit her website

at Lesliebeck.com.

Rating weight-loss diets for heart health

Out of a maximum 70 points, here's how popular weight-loss plans scored for inclusion of heart-healthy foods.

THE WINNERS 70 points Grade
Eat More, Weigh Less 64.6 (92%) A+
Weight Watchers (High-Carb) 57.4 (82%) A-
The New Glucose Revolution 57.2 (82%) A-
The South Beach Diet (Phase 2) 50.7 (72%) B-
THE LOSERS
Weight Watchers (High-Protein) 47.3 (67.5%) C+
Atkins for Life (100-gram Carb) 46 (65.7%) C
The South Beach Diet (Phase 3) 45.6 (65%) C
Atkins for Life (45-gram Carb) 42.3 (60%) C-

SOURCE: LESLIEBECK.COM