Can a diet kill you?

If you?re looking to lose some quick pounds before that holiday reunion, local doctors say keep your carbs and dump Atkins instead.

“This is not the diet that we will recommend when we look at lipids. It raises cholesterol compared to South Beach and Ornish, which both actually lower cholesterol,” said Dr. Michael Miller, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

His team compared the three diets for their impact on cholesterol, their effect on the lining of blood vessels and the presence of inflammation associated with hardening of the arteries. They presented their findings earlier this month at the American Heart Association?s Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Fla.

Miller found people on the Atkins Diet, who can eat up to 50 percent fat, experience increased levels of “bad” (LDL) cholesterol, as well as constricted blood vessels and increased markers for inflammation.

The South Beach Diet, with its focus on “good carbs” and “good fats” is 30 percent fat, while the a high-fiber, low-fat, vegetarian Ornish Diet rates has 10 percent fat, according to the study. FDA Dietary Guidelines suggest a diet providing 30 percent or fewer calories from fat and less than 10 percent saturated fat.

The extent of some of the changes in such a short time surprised Miller, particularly the pro-inflammatory characteristics from the Atkins Diet. “Some markers of inflammation were increased by as much as 30-40 percent during the Atkins phase,” he says, “whereas during the South Beach and Ornish phases, the markers either were stable or went down, some by as much as 15-20 percent.”

Many people on the Atkins Diet cannot stick to it, Miller said, so the weight starts coming back. Because of that diet?s tendency for inflammation, weight gain after an Atkins attempt could be a double-whammy.

“You can?t have your high fat steak or Big Mac and enjoy it, too, in terms of heart health,” he said.

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