Boy, tha'll die *hard*! A calorie is a unit of measurement, but what it measures is not always the same chemical compound. The body is a machine that burn, breaks down, different things differently.
The nutritionist-dieticians I happen to know (anecdotal) are all overweight, one is morbidly obese, and none of them can cook a meal worth eating! Yet they are hysterical on the health risks of Atkins, all the while planning their knee surgeries (poor joints can't support all that weight) and huffing and puffing up one flight of stairs, and I suspect they're going to be looking at Type II diabetes within five years...seems to me that at the worst, there are some health trade-offs that are a rational decision.
I'm not sure if this speaks to the benefits of Atkins or their poor diets. As you say, this is anecdotal. I'm sure there are healthy weight nutritionists-dieticians that may also be "hysterical on the health risks of Atkins". Cholesterol count is one measurement of health, but it is not the only measurement. Everything in balance.
As a personal trainer, I am constantly searching for good, unbiased studies on diets and I don't want short term ones. I want 5+ years. I want follow-up with the participants. These, unfortunately, are difficult to find on Atkins participants which I find odd since Atkins has been around for such a long time.