PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. -- For a lot of people, the low-carb diet may be all talk and little or no action.

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The NPD Group says its study of data on 11,000 people, collected from 2001 to 2003, found that few, if any, are cutting carbohydrates to the degree that low-carb diets recommend. In fact, the market research firm said only one out of four people who say they are on such a diet is actually cutting carbs significantly.

The market information company says those adults who are cutting carbs are still eating an average of 128 grams of refined carbohydrates a day. For men, the average is 145 refined grams, and for women, it's 109. That's well above the 20 to 50 grams per day some low-carb diets recommend for weight loss.

At the same time, though, it's lower than the overall average of 210 grams of refined carbs a day for all adults.

"Low-carb diets are a fad, just like the low-fat craze of the late '80s and '90s, the question is how long will it last," said Harry Balzer, vice president of the NPD Group. "In the meantime, every manufacturer will put out their version of low-carb products and Americans will try them, because that's what we do, we like to try new things."

The NPD Group says about 10 million Americans -- about 4 percent of the population -- are on a low-carb, high-protein diet. Middle-age folks make up the biggest group of such dieters. People who are reducing their carb intake report health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol at above-average rates.

The NPD Group provides sales and marketing information for a variety of industries, including software, travel, toys and video games.