Over the years, celebrities have often set the trend in dieting, and where they led, many of us didn't hesitate to follow. Two of the most famous celebrity trends that became instant hits among millions of people around the world were the Atkins and the GI diet. Each of these eating plans had its strengths and weaknesses and the question thus becomes - if one were to choose among the two, which one would be the safest bet? A recent study conducted by the International Association for the Study of Obesity has the answer: if losing weight and keeping it away is your concern, you're safest with the Atkins.

Atkins is a high-protein diet, glowingly endorsed by celebrities the likes of Renee Zellweger or Geri Halliwell, who claimed that it was not only effective in helping them slim down, but it would also prevent the pounds for piling back on. It was elaborated by Robert Atkins, a U.S. heart doctor, and its basic principle is eating very large amounts of protein while at the same cutting almost all carbohydrate intakes - including fruit.

For example, a cheese omelet would be ideal for breakfast, lunch would be made up of a cheeseburger with salad and dressing but without the bread, and for dinner, fish with buttered vegetables would do just fine. The popularity of the Atkins diet diminished when it emerged that it had unpleasant side-effects such as constipation and mood-swings. It was also believed to increase the risk of developing heart disease and kidney problems.

The GI diet on the other hand distinguishes between "good" and "bad" carbohydrates and is based on eating only the former type, which releases energy from food and prevents hunger pangs. "Good" carbs are beans, vegetables and wholemeal bread, whereas "bad" carbs include white bread, white rice and refined breakfast cereals. A day's meals according to the GI diet could be made up of porridge with wholemeal toast, lentil soup would make a perfect lunch and spaghetti with meat sauce would be a good choice for dinner.

The previously mentioned study compared the long term effects these diets had on a number of 250 men and women and reached the conclusion that "an Atkins-like high protein diet stops slimmers from piling the pounds back on. In contrast, the popular GI diet [...] seems to do nothing to prevent weight from creeping back up", reports the Daily Mail. This can be explained by the fact that proteins can make us feel full for a longer interval than carbohydrates and are also more effective in speeding up the metabolism.