Group Says Atkins Diet May Be Dangerous

Yahoo! News ^ | Nov 20, 2003 | Maggie Fox

[traumer]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A nutrition advocacy group warned on Thursday that the popular Atkins diet may cause heart disease and could have killed a teen-age dieter.

It urged the U.S. government to monitor the high-fat weight loss approach to see if it indeed causes heart disease.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine stressed it could not prove the diet had hurt or killed anyone. But one dieter said he believed the approach clogged his arteries and the parents of a teen-ager who died while on the diet also blamed her meat-heavy regimen.

The PCRM called on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) to monitor diets and check for signs that the Atkins and other high-fat, high-protein diets may be harming people's health.

"You can never say this diet caused this death," PCRM director Dr. Neal Barnard cautioned. He said the CDC should monitor large groups over time to see if there was an association.

The CDC had no immediate comment. Two federal health officials who asked not to be named said it might be possible to incorporate the information into existing surveys on diet, lifestyle and health.

Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. said its diet was safe.

"There is no logic and no science to support any association between these individuals and the ANA (Atkins Nutritional Approach)," said Colette Heimowitz, vice president of education and research for the company.

EAT MEAT

The Atkins diet has made headlines around the world with an approach that flies in the face of most medical advice. It is based on a theory developed by Dr. Robert Atkins, who died in April after a fall, that carbohydrates make people fat.

It encourages dieters to shun bread, pasta, fruit and many vegetables in favor of meat, butter and other fatty food.

"What I contend is that the Atkins diet gave me heart disease," Jody Gorran, a 53-year-old Florida businessman, said at a news conference organized by PCRM. He said his arteries clogged and cholesterol shot up while on the diet.

Paul and Lisa Huskey of Columbia, Missouri, say their 16-year-old daughter, Rachel, died of a heart arrhythmia in 2000 while on the diet. Dr. Paul Robinson, a pediatrician at the hospital where Rachel died, said the diet could have caused her death by leaching calcium and potassium from her body.

Many doctors and the American Heart Association (news - web sites) have warned that the diet could be dangerous. The Heart Association advocates a diet based on whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

It warned that over time the Atkins diet and similar approaches could raise cholesterol. Other experts have said the diet might also increase the risk of kidney disease and the PCRM adds osteoporosis and colon cancer to the list of risks.

The PCRM, which advocates a strict vegetarian diet, has set up an online registry at www.atkinsdietalert.org for people to offer complaints about the diet.

Doctors say anyone who loses weight will lower cholesterol in the short term.

More than 60 percent of American adults ore overweight or obese so the need for effective diets is clear.

"The skinniest people on the planet are vegetarians and Asians," Barnard said.

[BibChr]

Stay with it, and you'll love it MORE!

Dan

[BibChr]

Dang; your post is dumb from the first sentence to the tagline!

Quite an accomplishment.

Just not a good one.

Dan

[Craigon]

Been on it for 2 years. Actually only been an Adkins Lite (my term) for last year. Meaning I just avoid sugars , potatoes and Flour (I occasionally disregard the diet on holidays and special occasions). I really don't count carbs anymore. At 40, haven’t felt better since my teens/20’s. Maxed out at 220+ when I started, been at 185-190 for last 1.5 years with no struggle/effort what so ever. I use to live off daily Pepsid-AC pills, but I haven’t needed one in over a year. My Dr. is impressed with my blood test numbers. I use to get sick all the time. I’ve probably been sick (repertory infections, colds ,etc) about 3-4 times in last two years. Not bad, as I was typically sick at least twice as often prior to this diet/life-style-change. Not sure if that’s related to the diet, but I’ve got a feeling it is. My wife is sick more frequently then I (she’s a pasta/carb attic haha). I’m on it for life, and I don’t give a crap what "they" say. I’m looking at real results.

[Mfkmmof4]

I have to lose the weight and I feel satisfied after eating the meals on this....what more can you want?

[BibChr]

Yep.

Things I've basically said goodbye to since going low-carb in April:

Intractable, increasingly frequent episodes of tachycardia
Killer headaches
Sleep apnea
Acid reflux
Zero energy
Bad sleep
Old-man aches and pains
Hating every sight of myself in a reflection
Naggy guilt all the time
About eighty pounds

Yeah, so tell me about how bad it is for people.

Dan

[Protagoras]

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine stressed it could not prove the diet had hurt or killed anyone.

Nuff said. Next.

[sunryse]

Anything to do with it you think?

US breadmakers hold crisis talks over impact of Atkins diet
By Jeremy Laurance Health Editor
20 November 2003

The growing craze for high protein, low carbohydrate slimming regimes such as the Atkins diet is threatening the market for one of the staple foods of the West - bread.

Consumption of bread plummeted in America in the past year with an estimated 40 per cent of Americans eating less than in 2002. The US bread industry is to hold a crisis "bread summit" tomorrow to discuss measures to curb falling sales. In Britain, the Federation of Bakers launched a promotional campaign last month to counter the Atkins effect. British Bread month was advertised with the slogan "Use your loaf, have another slice."

Sales of sliced and wrapped bread have been declining by 2 per cent a year for the past three years in the UK. John White, a spokesman for the federation, said: "The impact of Atkins in the US is of concern to UK businesses. Everyone seems to be on it."

In America, Patrick Davis of the National Bread Leadership Council, which organised the summit, said that it was unclear whether the fall in bread sales was a temporary blip or indicative of a more permanent change in eating habits. The average American eats 54lbs of bread a year, barely a third of the quantity consumed by the French and Italians. But the Italians and the French are not notably obese, Mr Davis said.

While bread sales are falling, sales of meat, eggs and fruit are rising. In Britain, consumption of beef has risen from 739,000 tons in 1997, when the Atkins diet was first published in Britain, to 990,000 tons last year.

Although the diet has been widely condemned by doctors and nutritionists, an estimated 32 million Americans are on low carbohydrate, high protein diets according to a survey.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) in Britain has warned that the basis of the Atkins diet is questionable and it could be dangerous. Dr Susan Jebb, head of nutrition at the MRC, said: "It is an unknown risk. The diet is nutritionally incomplete."

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=465405

[Mfkmmof4]

I still buy about 6 loaves of bread a week. I make lunchs for the children to take to school.

[Varda]

Thanks and I've had some of the same results as you! Those aches and pains that I thought were arthritis have just disappeared and I have much more energy than I used to.

[BibChr]

It was amazing, too. Started enjoying the benefits within the first ~10 days, before I'd even lost much weight (relatively speaking).

Dan

[Varda]

Yup, I'm off sugar too (use Splenda) rarely eat potatoes (ok a french fry now and then) but I really miss rice, pasta and BREAD. Wow I never thought bread would be the thing I crave the most but the bakery at the grocery store is where I use the most will power.

[Mfkmmof4]

Well this is only the second day and the energy level energy is up. All that for not having bread and any other starches...amazing :)

[ThinkDifferent]

Exactly like the baseless and content-free attacks on Rearden Metal in Atlas Shrugged.

[BibChr]

Great. FWIW, I went through some adjustments for the first week, or so; it passed. One important addition, ahem, was one tbsp of (generic) sugar free Metamucil in water a day.

Dan

[At _War_With_Liberals]

And, of course, Yahoo and lib media pimp for them.

This diet has been around over 20 years. Since Atkins is now a multimillion $ franchise, here come the bloodsucking lawyers and paid off special interest groups.

Lawyers everywhere...

[Mfkmmof4]

Since I am eatng raw veggies that is helping :) Plus tons of water :) But will keep your suggestion in mind :)

[Mfkmmof4]

Well hubby is now interested especially when he found out he could eat Scrapple :)

[Fabozz]

"The Atkins diet was debunked years ago..."

Well then you won't have any difficulty posting a link to this supposed debunking.

[Mfkmmof4]

I would like to see it as well.

[Hildy]

Wow...good for you. I bet you look great too!