Two Studies Vindicate Atkins Diet

WCCO News Online ^ | 5/21/03 | A/P

[Johnny Gage]

Two Studies Vindicate Atkins Diet

May 21, 2003 4:00 pm US/Central (AP) A month after Dr. Robert C. Atkins' death, his much-ridiculed diet has received its most powerful scientific support yet: two studies in one of medicine's most distinguished journals show it really does help people lose weight faster without raising their cholesterol.

The research, in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, found that people on the high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate Atkins diet lose twice as much weight over six months as those on the standard low-fat diet recommended by most major health organizations.

However, one of the studies found that the Atkins dieters regain much of the weight by the end of one year.

Atkins, who died April 17 at age 72 after falling and hitting his head on an icy sidewalk, lived to see several shorter studies that found, to researchers' great surprise, that his diet is effective and healthy in the short run.

Although those reports have been presented at medical conferences, none until now has been published in a top-tier journal. And one of the studies in the journal lasted a year, making it the longest one yet.

"For the last 20 years that I've been helping people lose weight, I've been trashing the Atkins diet -- without any real data to rely on," said Dr. Michael Hamilton, an obesity researcher who was not part of either study. "Now we have some data to give us some guidance."

Now, he said, he would neither trash it nor endorse it. "I'm going to say I don't know. The evidence isn't in," he said.

One study ran six months and was conducted by the Veterans Affairs Department; the yearlong study was led by Gary D. Foster, who runs the weight-loss program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Atkins' diet books have sold 15 million copies since the first one was published in 1972. From the start, doctors branded the Atkins diet foolish and dangerous, warning that the large amounts of beef and fat would lead to sky-high cholesterol levels. In both studies, the Atkins dieters generally had better levels of "good" cholesterol and triglycerides, or fats in the blood. There was no difference in "bad" cholesterol or blood pressure. Dr. Frederick F. Samaha of the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, who led the VA study, said both studies indicate that people do lose more weight on Atkins, "but the difference is not great."

The 132 men and women in the VA study started out weighing an average of 286 pounds. After six months, those on the Atkins diet had lost an average of 12.8 pounds, those on the low-fat diet 4.2.

The other study involved 63 participants who weighed an average of 217 pounds at the start. After six months, the Atkins group lost 15.4 pounds, the group on the standard diet 7.

But at the end of a year, the Atkins dieters had regained about a third of the weight. Their net loss averaged 9.7 pounds. The low-fat dieters had regained about one-fifth of the weight, for a net loss of 5.5 pounds.

The year-end difference was not big enough to tell whether it was caused by the diets, Foster said.

About 40 percent of the patients dropped out of each study. And while supporters of the Atkins diet say it is easier to stick with, people on the Atkins regimen were just as likely to drop out as people on the standard diets.

The important finding, Foster said, is that the Atkins diet appears to be a healthy short-term way to lose weight. Nobody has studied it long enough to tell whether it is a healthy way to maintain that loss, he said.

Collette Heimowitz, director of education and research at Atkins Health and Medical Information Services, said people there were not surprised by the weight loss and improved cholesterol.

"But I'm thrilled that serious researchers are taking a hard look at the program, so that health care professionals and physicians would find comfort in offering Atkins as an alternative to the one-size-fits-all hypothesis of low-fat, low-calorie," she said.

The studies did not convince Kathleen Zelman, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

"There's never been any denying that low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets such as Atkins do, absolutely, cause weight loss," she said. "But do they hold up over time and can you stay on them over time?"

From Foster's study, it does not look like it, she said.

[Maven]

My sister-in-law has diabetes, and her doctor told her emphatically to stay away from Atkins. I think she need a new doctor.

I think so, too.

My doctor put me on low carb, and I only see doctors who are supportive of it. Fortunately, these days, more and more docs are coming around.

Maven

[Maven]

Sorry, but people in the 300-400lb range are usually mental cases. BTW, there are enormous number of these porcine sickos on the loose right now, and I don't think they ought to be driving cars. They eat as they drive and fall asleep.

When I used to be what you so charmingly refer to as a "porcine sicko," I assure you that I never fell asleep behind the wheel. Not once. Nor did I eat while driving.

You're a real charmer.

Maven

[Maven]

Thanks for again putting yourself right out there. Love the pix; you hang in there. You're a rich resource in these discussions. And your I DID IT post rather seems to trump the FROM WAY OVER AND UP HERE I DISDAINFULLY DISAPPROVE postings spattering this thread.

Thank you very much for the kind words!

I haven't been hanging around there in a while, but if you have access to Usenet, there's a wonderful newsgroup for low carbers: alt.support.diet.low-carb. You might want to check it out.

Maven

[Maven]

Like most, I still crave doughnuts, bread, pasta, and most of all cheesecake

Here's my most famous recipe (famous on the Internet, anyway):

This makes a rich, dense cheesecake that isn't overly sweet, but very satisfying.

MYRA'S NEW YORK-STYLE CHEESECAKE

Crust:
1 1/4 cups finely ground almonds OR other nuts
Sweetener equal to 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Topping:
2 cups sour cream (16 oz. container)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sweetener equal to 1 tablespoon sugar

Filling:
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
Sweetener equivalent to 1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a bowl, combine the almonds, 1 tablespoon sweetener and melted butter until combined. Press into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.

In a bowl, mix the sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon sweetener until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and 1 cup sweetener until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Blend in the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Pour the cream cheese mixture into the springform pan, and bake at 350 degree for 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted halfway between the edge and center comes clean. With a spatula, spread the sour cream mixture over the top, making sure you reach to the edges of the pan. Return cake to oven and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Remove cake from oven, allow to cool to room temperature (cake will settle in the pan). Slide a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it, then remove the springform ring. Keep chilled in the refrigerator.

Makes 16 servings, about 5 grams of carbs per serving.

Maven

[Maven]

Kudos to you, Maven! Awesome testimony.

Thank you very much.

You've got the trump card in this discussion, that's for sure.

It's just experience. I've been low carbing for about 5 1/2 years now, and I've learned just about everything there is to know about it by now.

Maven

[MarkL]

The cravings for DONUTS, PIZZA, ICE CREAM, CHOCOLATE MALTS, PANCAKES WITH MAPLE SYRUP and such things eventually go away.

For what it's worth, I had NO cravings at all, until the thread about the oreo cookies law suit in California. All of a sudden, I had a huge craving for oreos and a big glass of milk. But I got over it!

I;ve been on the diet for two weeks now.

Mark

[Maven]

Congratulations! You did it! Maven, you are my new diet hero. Makes me wish I had a ink-jet printer so I could print out your pics, as an inspiration to me!

Thank you, but I'm not done yet. As for the pics - I don't have a color printer, either. I just put them on a diskette and headed out to Kinko's to print out. :)

Bravo! And together, we'll continue to fight those on here who think this is an unhealthy way of eating, but are considering bypass. A nurse in my Doctor's office decided she just had to have this done, 7 years ago. The Mother of 9 adopted children, they buried her last year. How tragic that she thought the bypass would solve her eating problem. It doesn't.

That is so, so sad. Twenty years ago, I thought about gastric bypass surgery, but my father talked me out of it. I bless him every day for that.

Dad, by the way, started low carbing last July. He's down about 80 pounds now, feeling great and looking at least 10 years younger than his actual age.

Maven

[Maven]

I guess the thing that makes a meal for me is the spice. I have a history of high blood pressure, so I don't like salty foods. 300-400 mg Sodium tops in a meal for me. Since I've started Atkins, I have been fine and my blood pressure is great. Next month my doctor plans to wean me off the pills completely.

Good for you! Low carbing does lower blood pressure - my mother was able to go off her meds, too.

As for salt - I happen to like it, and since I have naturally low blood pressure (100/50 - oy), I've never seen a need to cut back. HOWEVER, in order to get more potassium in my diet, I do use Morton's Lite Salt at home. It actually tastes "saltier" to me than regular salt.

I really like hot peppers, curry, sage, thyme, garlic, onions, and cilantro.

All good, except you need to use the onions in moderation, as they're pretty carby.

Leaving out some of the sweeter sauces in some of my favorite dishes is the hardest part. For example...bar-b-qued chicken theighs are my favorite....but alas ....no more.

There are low carb barbecue sauces out there - have you tried any?

Maven

[MarkL]

I hear 'ya. Sweets and sugary yummies are meant to be occaisional treats, and that is possible if you are disciplined about the diet, and don;t mind inducting to keep the carb addiction from returning--The big problem is that people don't see their gut coming back right away, and by the time that they do, their carb addiction is back all the way...

You know, that right there is something that I've noticed...

When I was a little kid, about 30 or 35 years ago, there were only a few McDonalds in the Kansas City area. I would be suprised if there were more than 5 or 6. There were other national and local fast food chains as well, but the simple fact was that going to them was like going to any other restaurant: Something that was done on fairly rare occassions. I don't think that I went to a McDs more than once every few weeks (it was a pretty good drive), and to local fast food places, like "Smaks" no more than once a week. It was considered to be "junk food," something that was NOT on the regular diet. And soft drinks like coke or pepsi were not the beverage of choice, to be had with every meal and in between as well.

In a generation, we've changed out eating habits so completely that there are people who survive on fast food, who never have veggies, unless they're on a big mac or whopper, and only drink soda. One person I know from work admitted that he hadn't had a drink of water in nearly 2 weeks! Nothing but coffee or soda. It's shocking.

Mark

BTW, just to let you know, I started the Atkins diet about 2 weeks ago, but don't know how much I weigh or how much I've lost. I couldn't find a scale that would go past 275#. I will go to a hospital this weekend to see if I can get weighed. However, all my clothes are fitting looser, and I feel a lot better.

[bluefish]

Thanks for the ping. Funny thing, I hadn't been on a ketogenic diet in a while. Learned all the guys in another department where I work were on Atkins. Told them about my success with it in the past (let myself go, somewhat, later). They opened a drawer full of all kinds of snacks and stuff and invited me to join them. This was about the time you pinged me to the last thread when Dr. Atkins died. All these things reinspired me and I've been back on it since, losing steadily. Probably saved my life. Diabetes killed my father.

I've also been going to the gym, so I have been on a "targeted" ketogenic diet. Before and after working out, I take 20 grams of glucose polymers in water. This is a carb that is not sweet, and it goes straight to your muscle. Liver glycogen doesn't build up so you get the extra energy for your workout but tend to remain in ketosis.

[Salvation]

I know I did on the diet I went on. And I lost a total of 60 pounds in one year!

And it was NOT the Atkins diet! I would not recommend this diet.

[Twinkie]

Actually, Dr. Atkins had bypass surgery some months before
he fell. It was maintained that the heart problem was
caused by an infection of the heart, but you can't isolate
parts of the body like that and not attribute at least the
possibility of everything connecting in cause and effect.
Huge amounts of fatty meats aren't good for anyone, nor
is refined sugar and flour in huge amounts.

[Aquinasfan]

Oh, and he claims no skin problems and no tooth decay.

My wife and I have experienced this. Also for me: no more hay fever.

[Aquinasfan]

Eating large amounts of fatty foods is bad nutrition.

You know this how?

[MarkL]

What good tasting foods are there that are high protein, high fat, low carbohydrate and lower sugar as mentioned in the article ?

Steak, pork chops, fish like salmon steaks broiled in butter, cauliflower and broccolli in butter and cheese, bacon and eggs (turkey bacon for lower saturated fat). Hell, the best italian restaurant in KC (IMHO) has an "Atkins Diet Special" on the menu. It's chicken spedini with procuitto ham and an alfredo sauce (made w/ half and half) and roasted veggies! The list goes on and on...

[Space Wrangler]

Thanks! I'll have to give that one a try!

[Carolina]

Actually, Dr. Atkins had bypass surgery some months before he fell.

Point me to a news report that says this. He did not have bypass surgery. He had a cardiomyopathy which was NOT due to blockage of arteries but by an infection to the heart muscles. His angiogram came back as normal after the heart attack, meaning he DIDN'T have blockage in his arteries.

Get your facts straight.

Those of us who have been on this diet can tell you until we are blue in the face that our LDLs have decreased, our blood pressure has decreased, our HDLs have increased, etc, ad nauseum...but you won't listen because you are entrenched in the orthodoxy that eating fat and protein leads to arteriosclerosis.

[SamAdams76]

Thanks for that FitDay website. I'll definitely get going on that. Doesn't Atkins make a distinction between simple and complex carbohydrates? I think it is better to eat simple carbohyrdates (found naturally in foods) than to eat complex carbohydrates which are found more in processed foods.

[L,TOWM]

Excellent. Stick to your guns. A lot of Medical Professionals are so locked in to the cattle feed pyramid that they will try to talk you out of something that works.

BTW, if you have a health food store around, I would recommend getting FERTILE eggs. The lecithin content in the eggs keeps the cholesterol content in the fertile eggs from "sticking" around in your body. No problem eating two to four FERTILE eggs a day...

[right wing]

It's not only A very unhealthy way of eating, it is THE most unhealthy way of eating

Wrong! Guess you're really irritated that the naysayers have come around and are eating crow about Atkins now that their own studies have proven what he knew all along. You can't argue with the medical facts and Atkins has over 20 years of data that prove his diet not only works, but it is also a HEALTHY way of eating.

Do yourself a favor and read his book. It makes perfect sense and is very thought provoking. You might learn something.