Orange Growers Irked by Low-Carb Diets

Associated Press via Yahoo! News ^ | January 21, 2004 | MIKE SCHNEIDER

[PJ-Comix]

LAKELAND, Fla. - Tired of losing orange juice drinkers to low-carb diets, Florida's citrus growers are fighting back.

The state Department of Citrus on Wednesday changed its marketing strategy to convince consumers that orange juice can be compatible with the Atkins diet as well as the popular weight-loss plan pushed by television talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw.

The department's lawyer also is reviewing legal options against some books, such as "The South Beach Diet," that discourage orange juice for dieting purposes because of its high sugar levels.

About $1.8 million will be spent on a marketing campaign to combat the bad image caused by low-carb diets. The department is abandoning a marketing campaign that targeted moms and young professional women.

"There are powerful, negative messages against us," said Bob Crawford, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus. "We're not going to stand and take it."

Florida's $9 billion citrus industry has reason to be concerned. Orange juice consumption has fallen from 888 million gallons during the 2000-2001 growing season to an expected 844 million gallons in the current season.

Citrus officials said a noticeable drop occurred last March when low-carb diets began to reach a critical mass.

"People are dropping out of the market," said Dan Gunter, a consultant for the Department of Citrus.

Crawford said the Atkins diet and Dr. Phil's diet leave room for orange juice consumption. But he said lawyers were reviewing claims against orange juice made in "The South Beach Diet" and other publications.

"I think if people write things that aren't true about our product, we'll first talk about it with them and hopefully avoid litigation," Crawford said.

In "The South Beach Diet," Dr. Arthur Agatston urges readers to eat fruits rather than drink fruit juice.

"Again, fruit juices are a big source of trouble, in part because we've come to associate them with healthy habits," Agatston writes in the best-selling book. "But they also bring with them high levels of fructose, which can be the undoing of any effort to lose weight."

The publisher, Rodale Inc., said it stands by the book's "sound nutritional advice."

Most of Florida's oranges are processed into juice. Florida is the nation's largest producer of oranges and second in the world to Brazil.

[adam_az]

It works for anyone, so long as they still follow it.

It's not a fad BTW - people have been doing it for decades, it's only recently that it finally won over the low fat fraud.

[hope]

I love Trader Joe's I certainly wish more grocer's would get with the idea that people want healthy alternatives...

Most of the people who are ranting against the Adkins program haven't a clue what they're commenting on...

[Alouette]

I started the Atkins program since the day before Thanksgiving. 1 cup of orange juice is 28 carbs. Even on the "Weight Watchers" program 8 oz. of OJ is 3 points. Better to eat a complete orange.

I love oranges, haven't eaten one in 3 months, but looking forward to sections once I reach goal weight. OJ, who needs it? The best beverage is H2O.

[Hugin]

I cant believe the American public is so stupid as to follow these fad diets...

After 30 years of proven results the weight of evidence is now so overwhelming that the American medical establishment has finally had to acknowledge that the late Dr. Atkins was right and the govenment and "dieticans" were wrong. A fad. Right.

[adam_az]

Of course there are hucksters out there, trying to capitalize on something that works.

It's clearly not legal for the though according to Dr Atkins plan. Caveat emptor, as with everything!

It's kind of a stretch though, don't you think, to criticize the eating plan based on shysters trying to get people following it to break it so they can make a buck?

[finnman69]

fat does not make you fat


but saturated fat will clog your arteries and give you heart problems.

[Wordkraft]

The Atkins "Diet" is hardly a fad. It has been around since 1972. A 32 year long fad?????

[adam_az]

"Most of the people who are ranting against the Adkins program haven't a clue what they're commenting on..."

No, but at least they can spell it. :)

Repeat after me - A T K I N S

:) :)

[Mr. Mojo]

It works for anyone, so long as they still follow it.

My dad followed it to the letter and his cholesterol went from 200 to 300 in one month. ....and his doctor told him that his case was far from unusual.

And yeah, I know the diet has been around for a long time. But it's the rage now (almost every food commerical on tv touts their "low carb" products), which means a bunch of faddists have temporarily jumped on the bandwagon. But it'll survive the fad, as I already mentioned.

[Mr. Mojo]

see #49 for elaboration.

[Trajan88]

It is amazing what a little exercise will do to the waistline.

Trajan88

[Delphinium]

I think it is more then a fad. I think studies started showing that it had alot of good affects on health and as people started hearing this on the news they decided to try it.

Before that many were convinced that it couldn't be good for you because they have been brainwashed by the low fat propaganda.

I recommend "Dr Atkins Age -Defying Diet". Alot of good information in it.

[adam_az]

"but saturated fat will clog your arteries and give you heart problems."

ONLY if consumed with carbohydrate.

Unless you get an the carb metabolizing insulin spike, it doesn't happen.

Atkins was a Cardiologist, btw, with his medical degree from Cornell. How about you?

[finnman69]

the best diet I ever went on let me eat fruit salad for lunch every day including a bag of peanuts M&Ms.

I worked out very day and drank a lot of water. 30lbs in 3 months. And it stayed off. Exercise is king, and I can still eat bread, pizza potatoes, ice cream, spaghetti...

I tried Atkins once...it all comes back if you go off. No fun..much easier to exercise more and eat what i want.

[grimalkin]

I have hypoglycemia and I low-carb (Atkins) to keep my blood sugars steady. Losing and maintaining my ideal weight is just a bonus. It's been almost 2 years since I started. OJ isn't "health nectar" to my system. If I drank it, my endocrinologist would probably try to strangle me if I weren't already comatose from the blood sugar crash.

[finnman69]

well I have degree from Cornell topop, and my doctor says cut the aturated fats if you want a healthy heart..Atkins died fat

[hope]

LOL! touche...

I'm reading the Adkins book and am completely impressed with the information in it. Most of it is common sense. Most of it is what diabetics have know for some time...I'm diabetic so I know first hand what carbs can do...I hate them!

I was amazed to learn that by 2025 that America will most likely have three hundred million diabetic's with the current refined food fads.

[adam_az]

"My dad followed it to the letter and his cholesterol went from 200 to 300 in one month. ....and his doctor told him that his case was far from unusual."

I guess I can only take your word for it that he followed it "to the letter."

According to clinical studies that have been done, though, his case was very unusual.

http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/18-292461.html

Of the many misconceptions that surround the Atkins Nutritional ApproachTM, perhaps the most widespread is the assumption that eating foods high in fat is a health risk. Not so—in the absence of refined carbohydrates.

Fallacy: A nutritional approach that promotes a liberal intake of high-fat meats and dairy products will raise cholesterol levels, ultimately leading to heart disease.
Fact: It is true that every major health organization, as well as the U.S. government, endorses a low-fat diet in the unquestioned belief that fat causes heart disease. But are they right? A good deal of compelling evidence points in the opposite direction.

A growing body of scientific literature demonstrates that a controlled carbohydrate eating plan, if followed correctly, promotes heart health and improves clinical health markers. One study, conducted by Jeff S. Volek, M.S., R.D., Ph.D., while at Ball State University, showed the positive effects of a controlled carbohydrate nutritional approach on triglyceride levels. The study consisted of 12 healthy men, ages 20 to 55, who followed a controlled carbohydrate program adhering to the Atkins protocols for eight weeks. Upon completion of the study, each participant lowered his triglyceride levels by an average of 55 percent1.

Furthermore, this study showed that a higher-carbohydrate diet results in increased levels of triglycerides and decreased levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol. These factors have been associated with higher risks of myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease and coronary heart-disease events2. In addition, various researchers have demonstrated that high triglycerides and low HDL alone—as opposed to the total cholesterol number most of us focus on—may be the most important factors in heart disease and stroke3-7.

We also can look at the research that's come out of Framingham, Mass. (the community studied for 50 years by Harvard researchers), to glean meaningful information about the cause of heart disease. This research showed that the risk of heart disease increased both with high cholesterol levels and obesity, but their data showed that weight gain and cholesterol levels were inversely correlated with dietary fat and cholesterol intake. In other words, consuming less fat and cholesterol resulted in more weight gain and higher blood cholesterol.

More recently, the Framingham researchers reported on a study in which the young, healthy, male population of the community was followed for several decades to see which dietary patterns might lead to having a stroke. To their amazement, they found that those with the highest intake of saturated fats had the fewest ischemic strokes (the most common kinds), a whopping 76 percent less than those with the lowest intake of saturated fat8 .

Fallacy: Atkins is high in fat, and we all know that fats cause gallbladder disease.
Fact: There is now overwhelming scientific evidence that gallstones (responsible for more than 90 percent of gallbladder disease are formed when fat intake is low. In a study that examined the effects of a diet that provided 27 grams of fat per day, gallstones developed in 13 percent of the participants9. The reason is that the gallbladder will not contract unless fat is taken in, and if it doesn't contract, a condition called biliary stasis develops and the bile salts crystallize into stones. Our gallbladders need to be kept active to prevent stone formation.

It is not uncommon to find gallstones in people who are obese, although the gallstones may not be causing discomfort. People with existing stones may, however, have trouble with high-fat meals. If you are one of these people you may have to slowly increase the level of fat you eat according to your own tolerance—meaning, how you feel. Remember, gallstones are not formed overnight. So anyone who tells you they started doing Atkins and two weeks later developed gallstones doesn't fully understand the medical situation.

Selected References

1 Sharman, M.J., Volek, J.S., Gómez, A.L., et al., "Fasting and Postprandial Lipoprotein Responses to a Ketogenic Diet," May 31-June 2, 2001, Abstract of the 48th Annual American College of Sports Medicine Conference, Abstract #3295, Baltimore, MD.

2 Gillman, M.W., Cupples, L.A., Millen, B.E., et al., "Inverse Association of Dietary Fat With Development of Ischemic Stroke in Men," Journal of the American Medical Association, 278(24), 1997, pages 2145-2150.

3 Gaziano, J.M., Hennekens, C.H., O'Donnell, C.J., et al., "Fasting Triglycerides, High-Density Lipoprotein, and Risk of Myocardial Infarction," Circulation, 96(8), 1997, pages 2520-2525.

4 Austin, M.A., Hokanson, J.E., Edwards, K.L., "Hypertriglyceridemia as a Cardiovascular Risk Factor," The American Journal of Cardiology, 81(4A), 1998, pages 7B-12B.

5 Pieke, B., von Eckardstein, A., Gülbahce, E., et al., "Treatment of Hypertriglyceridemia by Two Diets Rich Either in Unsaturated Fatty Acids or in Carbohydrates: Effects on Lipoprotein Subclasses, Lipolytic Enzymes, Lipid Transfer Proteins, Insulin and Leptin," International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 24(10), 2000, pages 1286-1296.

6 Abbasi, F., McLaughlin, T., Lamendola, C., et al., "High Carbohydrate Diets, Triglyceride-Rich Lipoproteins, and Coronary Heart Disease Risk," The American Journal of Cardiology, 85, 2000, pages 45-48.

7 Stavenow, L., Kjellström, T., "Influence of Serum Triglyceride Levels on the Risk for Myocardial Infarction in 12,510 Middle Aged Males: Interaction With Serum Cholesterol ," Atherosclerosis, 147, 1999, pages 243-247.

8 Heaney, R.P., "Excess Dietary Protein May not Adversely Affect Bone," Journal of Nutrition, 128(6), 1998, pages 1054-1057.

9 Spirt, B.A., Graves, L.W., Weinstock, R., et al., "Gallstone Formation in Obese Women Treated by a Low-Calorie Diet," International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 19(8), 1995, pages 593-595.

[grimalkin]

I tried Atkins once...it all comes back if you go off.

Well, no shinola gumshoe. This applies to any plan.

[Triple Word Score]

Carb Addicts is easier to stay on than Atkins. Less nitpicky, and since you get one normal meal a day, it's more family-friendly and less boring--and probably better for the body in the long run.