Posted on 05/27/2004 4:49:27 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A businessman has sued the promoters of the Atkins Diet, saying the low-carb, high-fat meal plan clogged his arteries and nearly killed him.
Jody Gorran, 53, said Thursday that he was seduced "with a bacon-wrapped cheeseburger" to blindly follow the Atkins Diet, which also made his cholesterol soar to a risky level.
The lawsuit, filed with the aid of the Washington-based advocacy group Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, seeks less than $15,000. The suit also names the estate of the diet's late creator, Dr. Robert Atkins.
Atkins Nutritionals said it stands by the science that has "repeatedly reaffirmed the safety and health benefits of the Atkins Nutritional Approach." The company also questioned the motivation of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which promotes a vegan diet banning meat, fish, dairy and egg products.
The Atkins Diet advocates meat, eggs and cheese, frowns on bread, rice and fruit, and allows up to two-thirds of calories from fat, more than double the usual recommendation.
Gorran said he started the diet in 2001 because his weight had risen from 140 to 148 pounds. In two months, he said, his cholesterol rose from a normal 146 to an unhealthy 230, and by October 2003, he needed angioplasty to clear his arteries.
"I came very close to dying, and this is from a diet I thought was marvelous," said Gorran.
Atkins medical director, Dr. Stuart Trager, said the cholesterol increase claimed by Gorran is "dramatically greater than what we have seen" in scientific studies. He said a recent Duke University study showed only minor cholesterol increases, in some cases up to 10 percent.
Robert Atkins argued that carbohydrates generate too much insulin, which makes people hungrier and encourages them to put on fat. His books, including the best-selling "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution," have sold 15 million copies and attracted millions of followers.
The same advocacy group involved in the suit filed Wednesday released details of Atkins' autopsy report in February, 10 months after he died after slipping on an icy sidewalk. The report showed Atkins, 72, had a history of heart trouble, including congestive heart failure and high blood pressure - details that stoked debate over the diet.
A "dumb ass" businessman if he was seduced by advertising.
Where the heck to begin?
He went on Atkins to lose 8Lbs? Just put down the chips!!!!!
No diet works for everyone!! Any doctor will tell you that. If that were the case I'd take fen-fen. I had no side-effects. I knew people that did.
This guy is a complete moron. He should have check with his physician first. All (most) diets tell you to do that.
The dumb ass is supposed to have check ups to make sure his cholesterol level is good. HE DROPPED THE BALL AND IS PLAYING THE VICTIM. I hope the only thing he gets out of this lawsuit is ridiculed.
What, is this guy a dwarf? If you're overweight at 148, you must be about 4 feet tall.
But I'm glad this was posted because I have a question for Freepers. Has anyone tried Cortislim, the Cortisol blocker that's being currently advertised on Rush's and Hannity's show? This is the blocker that Anna Nicole Smith allegedly used to lose a bunch of weight.
Any users, and if so, are there any bad side effects?
Remember that everyone
His arteries were likely clogged by high homocysteine levels. The body responds by slapping - yes cholesterol - onto the artery walls to patch the holes caused by homocysteine.
Cholesterol is made naturally by the liver. This idiot's suit should be dismissed as Atkin's diet is unlikely to cause this.
This is absurd.
Also, I heard a Dr. the other day talking about studies done on cholesterol and triglyceride levels on a low fat diet vs Atkins....and they were very surprised that the cholesterol in both groups lowered...slightly more so in the Atkins group...and triclycerides were lower in Atkins diet group.
If this yoyo actually was actually on the Atkins diet his cholesterol would have dropped and his arteries wouldnt have been clogged. The guy is lying about this just as he probably was about the fact that the good fairy made him eat the piece of pie.
I dropped 30 lbs (225 to 195) 2 years ago and have maintained it since. Never felt better. Gave up sugar and bread. Added more protien. Kept the occasional weekend brewskis (Shiner Bock was sent by divine providence).
I ain't no fan of Akins and his diet -- that's for sure. But suits like this are idiocies.
He started the diet and in TWO months his cholesterol rose to 230. Sounds like a real good time to decide this is not the right diet. Did he continue Atkins until he needed the angioplasty, or is he blaming two months of high cholesterol for his problems two years later?
Award attorney fees to the Atkins Corp.
Mrs VS
I listened to the radio news reporting this every single hour all afternoon. Only once or twice did the newscasters mention PCRM, and not one single time did they note the connection to PETA.
Also remember that only about 5% of the PCRM's membership are actually doctors. All the rest of them are hardcore animal rights activists. They don't give a damn about anyone's health, they just hate Atkins because it encourages people to eat more meat.
A friend of my husband's was told to he really needed to go on a diet or he could have some big heart problems. He was on Atkins for a month when the doctor gave him heart medication and told him he couldn't go on any diet that would effect his blood pressure.
You should be a fan, however. The Atkin's diet totally debunks mainstream liberal medicine, that forces you to chug down 8 glasses of water a day, makes you eat tofu and rice, and exercise til your lungs pop out.
Meat, eggs, fish, moderate alcohol consumption and an occasional nice cigar and shot of Jack's will keep you going forever.
"he was seduced "with a bacon-wrapped cheeseburger" to blindly follow the Atkins Diet, which also made his cholesterol soar to a risky level. "
Trying to cash in on his own irresponsible behavior. If he was eating cheeseburgers he wasn't on the diet. The whole point is to restrict carbs.
How do you develop the need for angioplasty in 2 years? I've had several relatives undergo the procedure and their silly doctors repeatedly gave each of them the impression that it takes a lifetime to build up the necessary plaque in one's arteries to make such necessary.
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