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.

[churchillbuff]

"A nutrition advocacy group (sponsored by Krispy Kreme, McDonald's,

Scuse me, but I'm on the Atkins diet, and I dine at McDonald several times a week. Just order your cheeseburger without ketchup (which has a couple of carbs per teaspoon), ask for extra mustard (no carbs) and eat without the bun (their buns aren't tasty anyway. Suits me fine.

[churchillbuff]

Acid reflux

Yes! I used to inhale antacids, till I went on Atkins. Now, no more waking up with hot acid in the throat.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Simple processed carbs in large quantities are bad for you unless you do an enormous amount of physical activity everyday, in which case, eat what you like.

Food that sticks to your ribs is best. Just like grandma always said.

[cupcakes]

Agreed, I obtained blood pressure probs on this diet as well, which I carried into a pregnancy now(dangerous stuff!). I am only 33 years old. I really think you have to figure out your risks and metabolism. If you are more prone to diabetes, this diet may be just the thing you need. If you are more prone to heart disease or intestinal cancers based on family history, perhaps another diet would be better.
People hail this thing as some miracle diet, but they are never honest that they were sedentary and did little exercise before they began. Well DUH! Sit on your butt and eat way more than you burn and those carbs are going to go right to your rear--carbs are meant to be burned!

[GOPyouth]

Have people ever heard of just eating right and doing some sort of exercise???

There's nothing like cutting out the carbs and eating more of the group that will clog your heart up.

[cupcakes]

See this is where I agree and disagree. Atkins seems to be just the thing for those prone to diabetes. What do we know though of how it is for those prone to other serious medical conditions? If you are so sure that Atkins "cured" you of your diabetes, why would you doubt that it may be harmful just as quickly to someone who is perhaps prone to heart disease? It would seem it could work both ways.

Look at various medical ailments and you'll see diets DIFFER based on the medical condition. There is a reason for this because certain foods are going to be poison to those with certain medical conditions. Why would Atkins, a very restrictive diet in it's own right that seems to be geared toward a diabetic, be any different? Why would someone with heart disease use a diet recommended for diabetics?

[cupcakes]

And that's great, but those of you "high on Atkins" have to understand that those of us who have "mystery health conditions" or feel crappy while on Atkins are also looking at "real results". I really have never had it in for those using Atkins, just this attitude that it is for everyone and be truth be damned for those it is not good for. What will it hurt those on Atkins to have more research that helps protect people who this diet is not healthy for? How on earth is anyone going to keep you from using this diet if someone has more information about who should or should not use Atkins? Some just sound a wee bit defensive because it has worked for them and can't stand any criticism of the diet. That's insane!

[Stop Legal Plunder]

If someone developed a heart condition or clogged arteries, my best guess is that it developed over years, not over a few months of dieting, and I would look at some of those gooey delicious things you get at the bakery or the pizza parlor, rather than a couple of pork chops and a salad.

One theory that is growing in acceptance is that a key component of heart disease is a bacterium that attacks the muscles of the heart, weakening them such that plaque is able to adhere.

[cupcakes]

Nobody claims it is bad for everyone Dan, but certainly like any diet, this may not be for everyone. What is it that is so threatening to those that it worked for to admit this? I think the diet was terrible for me! And because of it I tell anyone considering it to know about their family medical history and consider it, like any other diet, carefully. Why would that offend you so much? That would seem like sensible advice to me.

[cupcakes]

And Dan in the first 10 days here were my "health improvements".

Marked increase in lethargy
Terrible headaches
Sick to the stomach
Constantly hungry

Now, at 33, I have high blood pressure too *oh joy*

These are just what I remember.
This diet is NOT for everyone!

I'm so happy it works for some, but let's be intellectually honest enough to say that there are some who despite following it by Dr. Atkins book, it does not work for and brings about some alarming side effects. This does not degrade what it has done for you, but you do no good for this diet by saying it is meant for everyone.

[Stop Legal Plunder]

I’m on it for life, and I don’t give a crap what "they" say. I’m looking at real results.

There's zero incentive in the drug business to tell people they can greatly improve their health by changing their diet, whereas there are enormous incentives to get people used to buying and taking various pills for life to treat the symptoms of an underlying dietary problem.

Given this economic reality I'm surprised the attack on the Atkins diet wasn't launched earlier. Or maybe not, as waiting until Atkins died does make it hard for him to defend his diet in person...

[Xenalyte]

Far too many "could"s and "might"s in this article for me to deem it informative.

[tubebender]

When I go to the dentist I must take anti-biotics to prevent such a condition and it's not because of Atkins...

[tubebender]

There have been several threads on Atkins and in every one I've read someone always warns it's not for every single person. We will soon know if there is a serious side effects as I have heard there are several million people on a low carb diet. As amatter of fact so many people are trying it that there is a shortage of beef and sales of products with high carbs are slipping. I am sorry you had problems but I am also sorry to see so many obese people with diabetes..

[BibChr]

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

Well, I've never in my life looked "great," and never will....

But I look better!

Dan
(c8

[BibChr]

...and the feeling that you're strangling to death. You got it.

Dan

[bobstriplamp]

"Carbos are even deadlier to diabetics than sugar"

What is the difference between a "carbo" and a sugar?
A sugar is a carbohydrate!!

A lot of sick people go on special diets (for example, people with COPD - emphysema - are often put on very high fat diets) - it doesn't mean they are healthy!!! They are ways from keeping a problem from becoming fatal.

One of the leading causes of death among the elderly is bone fractures. The more protein you eat, the more calcium you excrete, leading to such problems. The diet may be fine now, but these issues will surface in time, and like all the litigious folk suing fast food companies, expect to see lots of lawsuits targeting Atkins.

[areafiftyone]

I meant regular sugar like in cake and candy etc. Charbos like white flour and starches like potatoes peak your sugar for a longer period of time than eating a piece of candy. Regular sugar peaks quickly and then drops just as fast. Charbos peak more slowly and stay up for a longer period which is very dangerous to diabetics because their sugar stays higher longer.

[areafiftyone]

I am on an ATKINS LIKE DIET - NOT THE ATKINS DIET! I eat veggies I eat Meat - I eat some fruits but not all because some have too much sugar. The only thing I can't have is white flour, pasta and potatoes, corn and most breads. I can have 1 slice of wheat break once a week. I only eat so much of the meat though. I am not a huge meat eater. I eat oatmeal every morning. She stresses me to eat more veggies than meat which I do. My cholesterol is great. My good cholesterol is very high which shocked the doctor who just assumed that because I was diabetic I would automatically have high cholesterol. I walk 5 miles a day so that could help too. I am require to walk and exercise because I am a diabetic. Any diabetic who doesn't exercise is looking for trouble. I have lost alot of weight and am still losing. Diabetics have a real hard time with Charbos. Look it up in the American Diabetes Association. I belong to it and they have alot of cookbooks that they sell which stress low carb meals.