Low carb diets attract baby boomers

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Low-carbohydrate diets attract people between the ages of 46 and 64 and those with higher incomes, a U.S. survey reported.

Twenty percent of the adults surveyed said they had tried a diet low in carbohydrates since 2002 and 11 percent said they currently were on a low-carb diet. About 19 percent of respondents not on such a diet said they were "very" or "somewhat" likely to try one in the next two years.

Low-carbohydrate diets were more popular among people between the ages of 46 and 64 than other age groups, while other age groups expressed little interested in the diets, according to two surveys of 1,800 U.S. adults by Opinion Dynamics Corp.

Nearly one-third of those with household incomes over $75,000 per year said they have tried a low-carb diet, while 15 percent in that bracket were currently on such a diet.

Thirty-nine percent of those who have tried low-carb diets said they had decreased or eliminated orange juice from their diets, suggesting one reason for a recent drop in orange juice consumption, the study noted.