The Atkins diet is a very popular way to lose weight. But the idea of cutting carbohydrates and eating more protein and fat worries some doctors, who fear it could lead to increased cholesterol and blood pressure.

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that not only was Atkins the most successful of four diets at weight loss, but that it did not increase blood pressure or cholesterol.

Christine Dillion said the diet worked for her.

"I was on the Atkins diet for about nine months and lost between 10 and 15 pounds but, much more importantly, lost two dress sizes, which is huge," she said.

Her results were typical in the study by Christopher Gardner, of Stanford University, that compared Atkins to the Zone, Learn and Ornish diets in about 300 women.

"By the end of the year, on average within the Atkins group, the average woman lost 10 pounds compared to the other three groups, where the average loss was closer to 5 pounds," he said.

Gardner said the simplicity of the diet may be the key to its success.

"Cutting out those simple refined carbohydrates -- the white bread, the white rice, the high fructose corn syrup, the soda pop," he said.

People on Atkins replaced soda with water, and Gardner said that played a big role in weight loss. A heart disease specialist who helped the study, Dr. Randall Stafford, agreed.

"This study will change my practices. In the future, I'm going to be more supportive of patients who come in already on an Atkins diet, and I'm certainly going to suggest this as a possible, reasonable approach to weight loss," he said.

The study's authors stressed that if people are going to go on the Atkins diet, they should follow the actual diet, which includes all kinds of healthy proteins, not just those that are high in fat and cholesterol.