Two of the most well-known low carb diets are Atkins and keto.
Both demand significantly reduced carbohydrate-rich foods such as sweets, fizzy beverages, bread, cereals, fruits, legumes, and potatoes.
Although these diets are similar, they also differ.
This article compares the Atkins and keto diets to help you determine which fits you better.
The Atkins diet
The Atkins diet is one of the most well-known diets in the world. It is a low carbohydrate, moderate protein, and high fat diet.
Though Atkins has developed to include some plans, the original version (now known as Atkins 20) remains the most popular. It’s divided into four phases based on your daily net carbohydrate allotment (total carbohydrates minus fiber and sugar alcohols):
- Phase 1 (Induction): Allow 20-25 grams (g) of net carbohydrates per day until you are 15 pounds (lb) or 7 kilograms (kg) under your target weight.
- Phase 2: Take 25-50 g of net carbohydrates daily until 10 pounds (5 kg) under your target weight.
- Phase 3: Your net carb allowance is increased to 50-80 g daily until you have reached and maintained your desired weight for one month.
- Phase 4: During the last phase, you consume 80-100 g of net carbohydrates daily to maintain weight.
As you get closer to your goal weight and progress through these phases, your daily net carb allowance increases, allowing you to eat a broader range of foods.
Even during Phase 4, which allows for up to 100 g of net carbohydrates daily, you consume far fewer carbs than most people.
Most Americans consume around 50% of their daily calories from carbohydrates, corresponding to approximately 250 g of carbohydrates if you consume 2,000 calories daily (1).
The keto diet
The keto diet, often known as ketogenic, is a low-carb, moderate-protein, high-fat eating plan.
It was first used to treat seizures in children, but researchers discovered it might also benefit other adults (2, 3).
The purpose of the keto diet is to bring your body into a metabolic state known as ketosis, which uses fat as its primary energy source rather than sugar from carbs (4).
Your body operates on ketones in ketosis, molecules formed by the breakdown of fat from diet or fat stored in your body (5).
Most people must reduce their overall carb consumption to 20-50 g daily to achieve and sustain ketosis. Following the keto diet often entails ingesting fewer than 5% of calories from carbohydrates, 10-30% of calories from protein, and 65-90% from fat (6).
Some patients use blood, urine, or breath tests to check their ketone production.
Similarities and differences
Keto and Atkins have certain commonalities but also have significant differences.
Similarities
Atkins and keto are similar in several aspects since they are both low carb diets.
The Atkins diet’s Phase 1 (Induction) is comparable to the keto diet in limiting net carbohydrates to 25 g daily. This will almost certainly lead your body to enter ketosis and begin burning fat as its primary fuel source.
The Atkins diet’s Phase 2 recommends a carbohydrate consumption of 25-50 g daily, which may be low enough for many to enter ketosis.
Furthermore, by reducing the number of calories consumed, both diets may result in weight loss. Many high-carbohydrate meals, especially those containing refined carbohydrates, such as candies, chips, and sugary beverages, are rich in calories and may lead to weight gain (7).
Atkins and keto force you to avoid these high-calorie, carbohydrate-rich items, making it simpler to decrease calories and lose weight.
Differences
There are several distinctions between Atkins and keto.
While keto is a low-protein diet, with roughly 20% of calories coming from protein, the Atkins diet allows up to 30% of calories to come from protein, depending on the phase.
Furthermore, the keto diet aims to maintain your body in ketosis by severely reducing carb consumption.
The Atkins diet, on the other hand, entails gradually increasing your carb consumption, which finally kicks your body out of ketosis.
Due to its flexible carb restriction, Atkins allows for a more excellent range of meals, such as fruits and vegetables and even certain grains.
Overall, the Atkins diet is less restrictive since you don’t have to check your ketones or adhere to specific macronutrient objectives to stay in ketosis.
Potential benefits
Low carb diets, formerly considered dangerous, have recently been proven to have various health benefits.
Weight loss
Low carb diets may help you lose more weight than other diet strategies.
According to a survey of six popular diets, including Atkins, the Zone Diet, the Ornish diet, and Jenny Craig, Atkins resulted in the most significant weight reduction after 6 months (8).
In a comparable study, Atkins was shown to be the most likely of seven popular diets to result in considerable weight reduction 6-12 months after beginning the plan (9).
Though more rigorous than the Atkins diet, the keto diet may also help in weight reduction. According to research, ketosis reduces appetite, reducing one of the most significant hurdles to weight reduction – persistent hunger (4, 10, 11).
Ketogenic diets may also retain muscular mass, implying that most weight reduction you may experience is due to fat loss (12, 13).
In one 12-month trial, individuals on a low-calorie keto diet lost roughly 44 lbs (20 kg) with minor muscle mass losses, but those on a regular low-calorie diet lost just 15 lbs (7 kg) (12).
Furthermore, ketogenic diets keep your resting metabolic rate (RMR), or the number of calories you burn at rest, constant, but other low calorie diets may cause your RMR to fall (13).
Blood sugar regulation
According to research, low carb diets can help with blood sugar management.
Indeed, the American Diabetes Association recently changed the Standards of Medical Care — a document that outlines how healthcare practitioners should manage and treat diabetes — to include low carb diets as a safe and effective alternative for persons with type 2 diabetes (14).
Low carb diets have been proven to reduce the requirement for diabetic drugs while improving hemoglobin A1c (HgbA1c), a measure of long-term blood sugar management (15, 16, 17, 18).
One 24-week research of 14 persons with obesity and type 2 diabetes on the Atkins diet discovered that, in addition to weight loss, participants reported a decrease in HgbA1c values and a reduction in the requirement for diabetic drugs (18).
Another 12-month research of 34 overweight persons found that those who followed a keto diet had lower HgbA1c readings, lost more weight, and were likelier to stop taking diabetic medicines than those who followed a moderate carb, low fat diet (17).
Other benefits
According to research, low carbohydrate, high fat diets may lower specific risk factors for heart disease (19, 20, 21).
Low carb diets may lower triglyceride levels while increasing HDL (good) cholesterol, reducing the triglyceride to HDL cholesterol ratio (22, 23).
A high triglyceride-to-HDL ratio indicates poor heart health and has been associated with an increased risk of heart disease (24, 25, 26, 27).
A study of over 1,300 persons indicated that those on the Atkins diet had more significant drops in triglycerides and more considerable increases in HDL cholesterol than those on a reduced fat diet (22).
Low carb diets have also been linked to additional advantages, such as enhanced mental health and digestion. More research is still required (3, 28).
Which is better?
Both Atkins and keto have advantages and disadvantages.
The ketogenic diet is quite restricted and might be challenging to follow. Limiting your protein consumption to 20% of your total calories while maintaining a very low carb and high fat diet can be difficult, especially over time.
Some people may also feel compelled to check their ketone levels, which may be difficult and expensive.
Following a limited diet, such as the keto diet, may result in nutritional shortages if you do not pay close attention to the quality of your meals.
Furthermore, there is no information on the keto diet’s long-term safety or efficacy, therefore its long-term health hazards are unknown.
Most people can benefit from low carb diets without going into ketosis. As a result, modest carb restriction on a low carb diet, such as the Atkins diet, rather than a pure keto approach, is frequently sufficient.
Regardless of your protein, fat, and carbohydrate ratio, focusing on eating healthful meals is most important. Higher carbohydrate diets are rich in plant foods, such as vegetables and fruits, for example are proven to promote health in various ways.
Though low carb diets are generally healthful and safe for most individuals, higher carb diets emphasizing whole foods are just as good for health as low carb, high fat diets (29, 30, 31, 32, 33).
When deciding on your optimal eating pattern, keep your weight reduction objectives, general health, and food preferences in mind.
The bottom line
Low carb diets, especially ones emphasizing high quality, nutritional meals, can be helpful. However, before making any dramatic dietary changes, contact a healthcare practitioner.
The Atkins and keto diets are low carbohydrate diets that may help with weight loss, diabetes control, and heart health.
The primary difference is that on the Atkins diet, you progressively increase your carb consumption. Still, the keto diet remains very low, allowing your body to stay in ketosis and use ketones for energy.
Though the more stringent keto diet may assist some people, moderate carb restriction — such as in the later phases of the Atkins diet — is adequate for most people to get the benefits of a low carb diet.
![How Low Carb and Ketogenic Diets Boost Brain Health [Benefits & Effects]](https://eathealthyisgood.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/pexels-ella-olsson-1640773-1-1080x675.jpg)
0 Comments