Abstract
Four diets of varying composition, from the high-protein Atkins diet to the balanced educational tool LEARN, showed modest one-year weight-loss results but had no adverse effects. None of the four diets reaches the standard figure of at least 5–10% used to evaluate the success of weight loss treatments. It seems reasonable to state that a well-conducted study has shown us that modest weight loss can be achieved in various ways. However, this is no breakthrough demonstrating that one method is superior to any other, and no reason to argue that those in favour of high-protein diets were the first to discover the truth of weight loss programs.