ONCE AGAIN: ATKINS PLAN DUBIOUS, DANGEROUS

"The pounds may fall off in the first few months but the Atkins diet does not help people lose weight in the long term and it may be dangerous," says a scientific review of research appearing in the latest Lancet. While the diet may be safe to use in the short term - up to six months - scientists found side-effects more worrying in the long term. "[After a year, dieters] start to suffer headaches, muscle cramps and diarrhoea. This is consistent with a carbohydrate deficiency. They simply do not get enough carbohydrate to supply the tissues with blood sugar. That is why the organs start to malfunction."