BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- The best path to dieting success may not be the diet you choose. It's whether you can stick to your plan, according to a study that examines four popular diet options.

    Volunteers were recruited to participate in a one-year trial of four well-known diets: Atkins, which minimises carbohydrate intake; Ornish, which restricts fats; the Zone, which advocates small amounts of low-fat protein and fruit and vegetables; and Weight Watchers, which restricts portion sizes and calories.

    Although each diet led to a modest drop in body weight and several risk factors for heart disease over a year, the drop-out rates from all the diets were high.

    Those who stayed on any of the diets for one year lost more weight, reduced their body mass index and generally improved their cholesterol levels more than the overall group.

    The scientists conclude that a variety of popular diets can work, but only for a minority of individuals with the willpower to stick to them.

    But the researchers found no major advantage to any one diet and findings do not support the notion that very low carbohydrate diets are better than standard diets, according to results released Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association.

    With popular diets becoming increasingly prevalent and controversial, scarcity of scientific evidence on the health effects of popular diets is an important public health concern.

    Researchers say a one-diet-fits-all approach will not work, and that diets need to be suited to each individual's preferences, needs and lifestyle, and that more work is needed on ways to encourage people to stick with them. Enditem

(Agencies)