Interpreting Incomplete Data in Studies of Diet and Weight Loss

The prevalence of obesity among Americans 20 to 74 years of age increased from 15 percent during the period between 1976 and 1980 to 27 percent in 19991 and continues to increase, with alarming implications for public health. At any time, about 45 percent of women and 30 percent of men in this country are actively seeking to lose weight — in most cases, to no avail.2 Thus, the public has a keen interest in diets that might help in the battle against the bulge.Although most physicians recommend low-fat diets, low-carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins diet have had . . .