Keto vs Atkins: Know the difference between the two low-carb diets

Ketogenic and Atkins are both popular low-carb diets but they aren't the same. It's important to know the difference between the two before following either of them.

The first and the basic difference between the two are their origin stories.

Dietitian and educator Claudia T. Felty told Health.com: "Atkins was designed for weight loss, and keto was designed, its strictest form, for seizure prevention." Keto was used as a treatment for epilepsy; it is just recently that it has been adopted as a weight loss diet.

In Keto diet, 75 percent to 90 percent of the daily calories come from fat, 6-20 percent of calories from protein. In the Atkins diet, 60 percent of the daily calories come from fat, 30 percent from protein, according to the US News and World Report annual diet rankings.

The amount of carbs consumed in keto diet is about 2-5 percent and in Atkins diet, the amount of carbs is around 10 percent of calories from carbs.

However, in Atkins, the carbs consumption changes over time. Felty told Health.com: "Atkins has what's known as the 'induction phase,' which is the first phase of the diet. It allows 20 grams of net carbs—total carbs minus fiber. As the diet progresses, the carb amount allowed goes up."

Felty added: "Keto counts all carbs—not just the net—and the amount tends to be much lower long-term than that of Atkins."

Low-carb diets are often successful in helping with weight-loss. Therefore, both the diet plans help in shedding weight, especially at first. However, according to U.S. News and World Report, in the long-term studies, they haven't found much difference in the results of the low-carb and low-fat diet plans.