The UK government has announced its intention to investigate the controversial Atkins diet.

The dietary fad of the last two years will be subjected to scrutiny as concern rises about the nation’s obesity figures.

The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (Nice) has been charged with carrying out the investigation.

It is thought that one-third of an estimated 10 million Britons who are dieting at any given time are following the high-protein regimes suggested by Dr Atkins.

Around three-quarters of adults in the UK are now being classified as overweight or obese, which therefore must include an unhealthy proportion of those on Atkins, which involves eating unrestricted amounts meat and other high protein food while limiting carbohydrate intake to a minimum. This has reportedly had a negative effect on the uptake of potato products in particular, but also fruit, which Atkins also outlaws to a large degree.

A team of up of up to 20 doctors, nutritionists and dieticians will front the study of the diet, which critics who claim it can cause kidney damage, thin bones, high cholesterol and other problems will hope supports their case.

The potential long-term consequences of high-fat diets are still unknown, they warn, and are likely to include a higher risk of diabetes and early heart attack.