Atkins: too boring to eat

The Atkins diet probably works because it is so boring, experts said yesterday. There was no evidence that cutting out carbohydrates such as bread while stocking up on fatty foods and protein boosted energy use, scientists found.

However, people on the diet may choose to eat less because the choices are so unappealing. 'The success of the low-carbohydrate diet might be due to the restriction of the variety of food choices - the monotony and simplicity of the diet could inhibit appetite and food intake,' Prof Arne Astrup, a nutritionist at RVA University in Copenhagen, wrote in the Lancet medical journal.