ATKINS ALERT

THE DAILY RECORD ^ | Aug 13 2003 | Keith Mcleod

[carlo3b]

News
ATKINS ALERT

Aug 13 2003

Diet followers at risk, says expert

Keith Mcleod

SLIMMERS following the controversial Atkins diet are gambling with their health, a nutrition expert has warned.

Dr Susan Jebb said it would be "negligent" to recommend the diet, favoured by stars such as Geri Halliwell and Catherine Zeta-Jones, to anyone overweight.

Millions of people around the world have tried the low-carbohydrate, high-protein regime.

But Dr Jebb, of the Medical Research Council's Human Nutrition Research Centre in Cambridge, said its claimed benefits were based on "pseudo-science".

She argued that, despite a number of studies, no one knew what the long- term effects might be.

Dr Robert Atkins, who developed the diet, believed that carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, rice and starchy vegetables made the body produce too much insulin.

He claimed that led to hunger and weight gain.

His answer was to avoid such foods and eat unlimited amounts of fat and protein, leading the body to burn fat.

But Dr Jebb said such a dramatic change in eating habits was a leap in the dark.

For most people, protein accounts for a mere 15 per cent of their calorie intake. But much higher levels are eaten on the Atkins diet.

Dr Jebb said: "We simply do not know the long-term health implications.

"I certainly think we should be adopting a precautionary principle in terms of public health."

Her warning comes two months after two teams of American scientists declared the Atkins diet was effective and safe.

They found that over six months, 63 Atkins slimmers lost almost twice as much weight, an average of one and a half stone.

After a year, the gap had closed though, with the Atkins dieters down to an average weight loss of a stone compared with half a stone for others.

But Dr Jebb said the studies were too limited to provide meaningful evidence.

Dr Atkins died in April, aged 72, after slipping on ice outside his New York office and hitting his head.

Top

[RJayneJ]

For most people, protein accounts for a mere 15 per cent of their calorie intake. But much higher levels are eaten on the Atkins diet.

There is a fallacy in that statement, because on the Atkins diet your appetite is surpressed, so you really don't eat that much more meat. I have been on it for a couple of months and have not had to take insulin since I've been on it, and I've painlessly lost 25 pounds.

[Johnbalaya]

Carnivores unite!!! Down with the Vegetarians!!!

:P

[Ditter]

When he first found out he was diabetic we both attended classes on diet for diabetics. Carbs were supposed to be the major part & he has faithfully followed that but I think he won't anymore.

[sd-joe]

They found that over six months Atkins slimmers lost almost twice as much weight...

After a year, the gap had closed ..., with the Atkins dieters down to an average weight loss of a stone compared with half a stone for others.

LOL. In other words over six months Atkins dieters lost twice as much weight, while after a year they had lost twice as much weight. This is interpreted as "the gap had closed"

Talk about junk science.

[nmh]

Don't you see, a fit and healthy patient is BAD for bu$ine$$. So scare tactics and doubt are in order to keep patient$ coming for them to solve their problems.

There is a genuine HATRED between the alopathic crowd that loves to push synethic patented drugs and those that advise a nutritious diet. As Hippocrites (sp) used to say, "Let you medicine be your food and your food be your medicine." He USED to be the father of medicine till our "wisdom" drove us to, hey got a problem, here's a pill and you don't have to change ANYTHING in your life. Besides the drug companies will send me on trips, give me kick backs AND since most of their patents are running out value me, the allopath, even more for synthetic drug pushing. Pssssssst if the liver and kidney damage gets to be too much, I'll just nudge a colleague and tell him about you and line you up for a transplant with MORE synthetic drugs to follow for the rest of your life.

[carlo3b]

But what's wrong with both low-carb and aerobic exercise?

NOT ONE DAMN THING, and, it would make me feel better about your general health... LOL That is just plain smart!!

[nmh]

"Wow, that's great news! I don't know if you were on this thread, but the American Diabetes Association would rather he ate carbs, carbs, & more carbs. (i.e. ignore your lyin' eyes...)"
<It's good for busine$$ for the doctors AND MORE funding will be provided to the American Diabetes Association IF they have ALOT of people with the problem. Don't you see, it's a win win for both by having people NOT address the ROOT problem. People are their LAST concern.

[nmh]

Being a vegetarain is nutritional suicide.

[carlo3b]

I have been on it for a couple of months and have not had to take insulin since I've been on it, and I've painlessly lost 25 pounds..

So very good to see you my dear friend. That is wonderful news Jayne, you'll be in your old fighting weight in know time.. LOL

[Those_Crazy_Liberals]

"And, would aerobics have cured my constant heartburn like low-carb did? (That was my surprising side-effect when I started it.)"

Isn't that just the most amazing thing? I used to get that acid reflux in bed stuff even if I ate dinner at 5pm. Now, I can eat anything before bed and I'm just fine. My biggest suprise was that I just stopped biting my finger nails. A lifelong habit was ended in 2 weeks and I didn't even know I was stopped.

[Johnbalaya]

yeah, we don't have canines for nothing :D

Down with the Vegans too!!! :P

[tickles]

She argued that, despite a number of studies, no one knew what the long- term effects might be.

Translation: don't confuse me with the facts, my mind's made up.
>>>>>>>>>>>

the funny thing is we do know the long-term effects of excess weight.....high cholesterole, heart diesease, adult on set diatetes and so on and so on....

[Ditter]

>>>>>Being a vegetarian is nutritional suicide>>>> Very true. I have always known this for myself. I need more protein than most people or my blood sugar drops & I get a headache. I am dieting now to drop a few pounds because I got where I was eating pasta with my protein. Can you say 'big pants'? LOL

[tickles]

.. I just don't know! I would much prefer to advise you that a brief, daily, ordinary aerobic exercise routine, would have the same results with the added benefit of a cardiovascular improvement, that would serve you so much more throughout your life>>>>>>>>

no daily aerobics alone would NOT give me the added benefit that I gain with controlling my carb intake AND daily aerobic routine pluse lifting weights during the winter. Just wouldn't be as healthy doing just aerobics, mostly cause the carb fog would have me laying around to tired to do the daily walking.

[jennyp]

Can you say 'big pants'? LOL

LOL! Nothing keeps me on the wagon quite like feeling my brand-new size Medium tops getting tight.

[goody2shooz]

I too had heartburn on the so-called balanced diet. Now, even though I have bacon, eggs and decaf coffee with cream for breakfast, I'm no longer troubled by that problem.

[jellybean]

What If It's All Been A Big Fat Lie?

[right way right]

I went on the Atkins plan and dropped 20 pounds in 6 weeks and I no longer have to take Prilosec every day for acid reflux, my gout has improved and I don't have to take meds for stress anymore.

Also my Lipeds have improved with my total colesterol below 200 (formerly 210) and with a better good to bad colesterol ratio.

But,I guess I will have stop the program since this person says it "may" be dangerous.

[carlo3b]

no daily aerobics alone would NOT give me the added benefit that I gain with controlling my carb intake AND daily aerobic routine pluse lifting weights during the winter. Just wouldn't be as healthy doing just aerobics, mostly cause the carb fog would have me laying around to tired to do the daily walking..

OK, we'll take your name off of the undecided list....... YIKES!

[jennyp]

Dr Jebb said: "We simply do not know the long-term health implications.

Gee, I guess "long-term" must mean something longer than 3 1/2 years:

JennyP's numbers since going on a low-carb diet

Date	Mos. into diet	Weight	BMI	Total	HDL	LDL	Total/HDL	Triglycerides
10/20/99	0	163	24.8	unknown - wish I had tested beforehand
4/21/00	6	147	22.3	244	76	158	3.2	48
3/20/01	17	156	23.7	241	74	149	3.3	90
5/15/02	31	154	23.4	219	78	128	2.8	66
6/09/03	44	141	21.4	233	77	143	3.0	66

After losing 1 lb per week, I plateaued at 16 lbs below starting weight. Then I drifted upwards over the next year to around 8 lbs below starting weight & stayed there for a year. Then I cut out ice cream for dessert (we couldn't resist giving ourselves bigger & bigger portions over the months!) & my weight drifted back down by 16 lbs (to 23 lbs net below starting weight). I also switched to a canola-based margarine, but recently I couldn't find any and had gone back to regular margarine; that might be why my total cholesterol came down last year but was higher in the last test.