Dieters say Atkins damaged heart

Boston Globe ^ | 11/21/03 | Maggie Fox,

[kattracks]

WASHINGTON -- Jody Gorran was proud of his 32-inch waistline -- until a heart scan showed an artery had become almost entirely blocked during the two years he was on the Atkins diet.

Lisa Huskey was happy about being on a diet with her 16-year-old daughter, Rachel, until Rachel dropped dead from a heart arrhythmia in class.

[Always Right]

I can't see how you can quote the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine without reporting they are a radical animal rights vegiterian group. They condemn Adkins, but admit they have no proof. What a sad state we are in when political agenda trumps science in medicine.

[Dudoight]

I don't believe that the Atkins diet caused these problems.

[Moose4]

Hmm. I'll bookmark this article and show it to my wife when she gets home. Both of us are thinking about going on Atkins since her parents have each lost 30 or so pounds on it, but she's already taking blood pressure medication that's lowering her potassium level (she's drinking V8 and eating fruit to compensate).

}:-)4

[Moose4]

Doh...I just saw that the PCRM was involved in this. Neeeever mind.

}:-)4

[Trust but Verify]

Oh boy.....

For myself, I would not use the Atkins diet. The process your body goes thru to shed weight seems to me to be unnatural, and quite possibly (at least for some) dangerous.

[boxerblues]

I know people who have had very good luck with losing weight on Atkins, and few others that it made them deathly sick. I couldnt do it myself as I found it to be to restrictive, I had better luck with weight watchers which is more about portion control and that is where I needed the help.

[Lil'freeper]

Well, I know a couple people who dropped dead from eating the Standard American Diet (low-fat, high-carb). Seriesly.

[vox humana]

Dr. Richard Fleming, a cardiologist who has studied high-fat diets, attacked the premise that carbohydrates make people any fatter than any other food.

Fleming is an idiot. Like most doctors, he knows little about diet and nutrition.

Do a Google search for "Glycemic Index" and learn why eating certain carbohydrates will make you fat.

[PhilipFreneau]

>>> I can't see how you can quote the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine without reporting they are a radical animal rights vegiterian group.

The Boston Globe is a radical leftist rag in its own right, and irresponsible journalism is right up their alley. The following are some links for the leftist animal-rights group called the "Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine".

http://www.pathwai.org/ar_groups.htm

http://www.consumerfreedom.com/activistcash/org_detail.cfm?ORG_ID=23

http://www.zey.com/cgi-zey/ceilidh.exe/ceilidh-zey?C3ac8a2ca3MjC-4786-14-00.htm

http://www.pcrm.org/health/Commentary/commentary9807.html

Their web site is at:

http://www.pcrm.org/index.html

[GreyWolf]

My sister has been on Adkins for a couple of years and has lost a lot of weight, however, recently, her doctor informed her that her cholesterol levels are through the roof. He ordered her off Adkins immediately and switched her to a low-fat diet. He is concerned she may have blockage and has ordered an MRI. I'm keeping an open mind about Adkins but will avoid it until more data is in. Hopefully, my sister won't contribute to those statistics in a negative way.

I have been as high as 425 lbs and have averaged over 350 most of my adult life. Three years ago, I suffered a heart attack (and a wakeup call) and decided to change my lifestyle. Over the 3 years, I have lost 150 lbs and I am never hungry and I feel great. Over my life I have tried every diet in the book and every one resulted in some weight loss followed by an equal or greater weight gain. I have concluded that no diet is a magic bullet and only a change of eating habits with a slow (1 lb/week) loss is the only thing to keep it off (at least in my case). Hope this advice helps someone out there.

[BufordP]

From the The National Council Against Health Fraud

[Who is] Physician's Committee For Responsible Medicine (PCRM)
by William T. Jarvis, Ph.D.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is a nonprofit association that claims to promote "optimal diet for prevention of disease," says there is evidence that humans don't have a specific requirement for protein, and teaches that "too much dietary protein from animal sources is detrimental to health." [1] PCRM's reference to "animal sources" is key to understanding its true purpose. Its leader, Neal Barnard, MD, has been identified as medical adviser to the radical animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and PCRM may be substantially funded by it. Animal activists are highly successful fundraisers. The combined budgets for 15 of the leading animal protection organizations exceeded $115 million in 1994 (PETA took in $12 million) [2]. In NCAHF's view, PCRM is a propaganda machine whose press conferences are charades for disguising its ideology as news events.

[Maelstrom]

It didn't

The kid who died didn't follow the diet. There was no milk in her diet, she drank soda-pop instead.

[Labyrinthos]

Hmm. I'll bookmark this article and show it to my wife when she gets home. Both of us are thinking about going on Atkins since her parents have each lost 30 or so pounds on it, but she's already taking blood pressure medication that's lowering her potassium level (she's drinking V8 and eating fruit to compensate).

If I recall correctly, high potassium -- not low potassium -- disrupts the electrolytes that are needed to regulate heart beat.

[Maelstrom]

Fleming?

He's been against Atkins since the man discovered the diet.

The man's a socialist vegetarian type.

[Core_Conservative]

shed weight seems to me to be unnatural

and the way we add weight on IS natural?

[evad]

Jody Gorran was proud of his 32-inch waistline -- until a heart scan showed an artery had become almost entirely blocked during the two years he was on the Atkins diet.

Hmmm..I guess we're 'spoze to assume that he had a heart scan just before he began the diet and had a perfectly unblocked artery.

This article is so full of "inaccuracies", oversights and false assumptions that it's hard to get through a sentence without laughing.

To wit "Anyone who has even been on this diet can tell you they spend the first few days in the bathroom, urinating," said Dr. Paul Robinson

Hey there Doc, das cuz they tell you to drink lotsa water when you do the introductory 2 weeks on this diet.

And, for those that lose electrolytes, that's what they make a multi-vitamin for.

[saveliberty]

Oh how annoying.

1. Dr Atkins proved that high density carbohydrates burn at a slower rate than proteins, fats and low density carbohydrates
2. Many high density carbohydrates create a hunger hormone, prompting the consumer to eat more, triggering more hormone, and well, you know how that goes
3. The diet that these "nutritional experts' are advocating is risky for individuals already susceptible to type 2 diabetes from item 2.
4. These "nutritional experts" vastly underreport the amount of complete proteins a person needs. Example, a fit adult woman under the age of 40 needs 44 grams of protein per day. A fit adult male needs 63 grams per day. These are not supported adequately by vegan diets as the amount of fat consumed to achieve the needed complete proteins is another health risk.
5. Convenience food, even if heated up at home, is high in calories and low on nutrition. Also the amount of effort and prep time for a home cooked meal, even if it's 30 minutes, helps families to not require instant gratification and can also help them to control portions. But thanks to 40+ years of excessive taxation for creating the financial necessity for most 2 parent families to have 2 working parents, who has the energy to put into taking care of your family's meals?

Why can't we sue the FDA and NOW for denying their accountability in making Americans fat?

[CobaltBlue]

I take diuretics for high blood pressure, and my physician gave me a potassium supplement to take at the same time. I plan to go back on Atkins after Thanksgiving, because I have found that losing weight helps my blood pressure. You can get a lot of potassium from green leafy vegetables that don't have a lot of sugar or starch, like spinach and parsley. You can also get a lot of potassium from fish.
http://www.healthyeatingclub.com/info/books-phds/books/foodfacts/html/data/data5b.html

In fact, it's possible to get too much potassium in your diet, which is dangerous, too.

I kept nagging my son, who is on Atkins, to eat foods with potassium and finally started making him a nice bowl of tabouli made with an entire bunch of parsley and some tomatoes, which he loves. The first time I made it, I made a double recipe with two bunches of parsley and four tomatoes, and he ate all of it! So it seems clear to me that he was craving the vitamins and minerals.

[carton253]

You can't have milk on Atkins...