(UK) Official: Atkins diet can be deadly

Guardian ^ | 09/21/03 | Jo Revill, health editor

[Pikamax]

Official: Atkins diet can be deadly

Jo Revill, health editor Sunday September 21, 2003 The Observer

The first official warning about the dangers of the Atkins diet has been issued by the Government amid concern about the rising number of people opting for the high-fat, high-protein regime. The Food Standards Agency, which is responsible for all the Government's nutritional guidance, has published a statement alerting the public to the health risks of low-carbohydrate diets, including Atkins, claiming that they are linked to heart disease, cancer and even obesity.

In the past two months senior nutritionists have held talks with the Department of Health about the slimming fad and were asked to investigate the full risks of the diet.

But Ministers, who did not want to be accused of running a 'nanny state' by issuing the warning themselves, decided that it would be best if they were distanced from the advice, by letting it come from food experts.

The dangers are clearly spelt out on the agency's website, without actually naming the Atkins diet, which has been tried by more than three million people in Britain.

'Cutting out starchy foods, or any food group, can be bad for your health because you could be missing out on a range of nutrients,' the statement says. 'This type of diet also tends to be unrealistic and dull, and not palatable enough to be tolerated for a long time.'

It adds: 'High-fat diets are also associated with obesity, which is increasing in the UK. People who are obese are more likely to develop conditions such as diabetes and some cancers. Low-carb diets tend to be high in fat, too, and eating a diet that is high in fat could increase your chances of developing coronary heart disease.'

The advice, compiled in a question-and-answer style by senior nutritionist Sam Church, states that rather than trying to avoid carbohydrates, it is better to base your meals on them so they make up one-third of your diet.

But she does not include a warning about the possible risk of kidney or liver disease for anyone who spends a long time on the diet, possibly because of lack of reliable research to back such claims.

Dr Atkins' Diet Revolution toppled Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix off the number one spot during the summer; it now stands at six the UK bestseller list, having sold more than half a million copies in the past year.

Supermarkets report a surge in meat and cheese sales and a slump in pasta and rice. The price of eggs has risen by 9 per cent, bringing fears of a shortage because devotees of the diet are using the food as a way of ensuring their daily fix of protein. Some sandwich bars are also offering 'Atkins-friendly' meals, such as chicken and salad, to respond to demand and counteract the fall in sandwich sales, as bread is on the banned list.

A spokeswoman for the Atkins company argued that research showed it was consumption of large amounts of carbohydrates with a high-glycemic index, such as white bread, white rice or white potatoes, which increased the risk of coronary heart disease.

'At all stages of Atkins, we encourage consumption of nutrient-dense foods including plenty of vegetables, with the introduction of fruits and wholegrains later in the programme as one approaches ideal weight,' she added.

[WaterDragon]

A co-worker at my office raised pigs....he got all the stale bread, donuts, etc, from stores and bakeries, and dumped pasta and potatoes from restaurants, to feed those pigs to make them FAT.

What he didn't feed them was meat or high protein foods of any sort! LOL

[power2]

Atkins has candy bars sold under their name in many stores...we've bought a bunch of them at Wal Mart. They're actually quite tasty, although expensive.

[kayak]

ping

[Pompah]

My wife is on the Adkin's. And hanging tough,(Dropped 8 Lbs so far.) She's happy.

I'm looking at the "South Beach Diet" .Got the book today . Anybody working on that one.?

[Concerned]

The 4 Basic Food Groups:

Sugar, Salt, Fat and Caffeine

[GretchenEE]

I've been anticipating this.

'High-fat diets are also associated with obesity ... Low-carb diets tend to be high in fat, too, and eating a diet that is high in fat could increase your chances of developing coronary heart disease.'

Balderdash. These people clearly did not do their "research" on what the Atkins diet is.

And how "healthy" are obese people growing rounder all the time?

Let reason prevail. In the meantime, I hope millions more people lose millions more pounds on Atkins.

[Mr. Mojo]

My husband's cholesterol dropped from a dangerous 280 to a quite low 140 after 2 months on the Atkins diet

My dad's cholesterol rose from 180 to 300 in one month on the Aktins diet. His doctor told him to go off it immediately, and it dropped back to 180 within 3 weeks time.

Different strokes for different folks (so to speak).

[GretchenEE]

Excellent work. Kudos. Bravo.

I've lost 60 lbs. on Atkins. Turns out I am one of those who is extremely metabolically resistant and it's taking me longer to lose the rest. But, like everyone else who truly embraces Atkins because their body needs it, I feel better, have more energy, get more exercise, etc. I love Dr. Atkins for what he pioneered, and for all the stupid hits he took.

[freedom moose]

'This type of diet also tends to be unrealistic and dull, and not palatable enough to be tolerated for a long time.'
And the typical English diet is exciting???

[freedom moose]

Well I have been crashing and burning at work and getting sick of it. I don't think I can go on the full atkins, but I am going to try and just cut out bread, sugar, junk food and see what happens.

I had this problem too. I started Atkins about a month and 1/2 ago. I followed it closely for about a week and a half. I lost weight like crazy (about 20 lbs). For the first few days I felt really weird and very very mellow (i think i was really addicted to carbs). I started the diet knowing that i had no intention of following it closely for the rest of my life. In the last few weeks i've started to reintroduce carbs, even pasta. my wieght hasn't gone back up although i'm not really losing any noticible quantity (maybe a lb a week). I feel great and i'm never sleepy. I think the best thing atkins did for me was help me kick the carb addiction and most of all i no longer snack between meals (which used to be hard because in the staff room at work there's always crap to eat - i no longer am even tempted). i'm still staying lower carb than before, but not losing sleep over what i eat.
Also I'm walking uphill about 2 miles every day (quickly), jumping rope (about 10 minutes), doing 300 situps and about 50 pushups. nothing too complicated or un-doable even during a really busy week. maybe that's why my weight loss has slowed. i'm building muscle mass in my arms and legs and stomach. I know it's true because my pants keep getting looser and theladies make comments. Atkins works.

[randita]

It's not exactly what I'd call "low carb", but if you make your own yogurt from whole milk yogurt, some chopped berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries) and add 1 pkg. Splenda per cup, it's only about 8 gr. per 1/2 cup. I get hungry for lemon yogurt and make that with a 3 oz. pkg. of sugar free jello stirred into 2 cups of yogurt.

I often eat a hard boiled egg and 1/2 cp of yogurt for breakfast as I'm not a big fan of cooked eggs and breakfast meats.

You're not supposed to have yogurt at all on induction, but on the subsequent phases, yogurt is fine, as long as it's all natural (no sugar added).

[moo]

Not yet, but Walmart is looking to see if there is a demand... I'm sure we will sell Albertsons or someone fairly soon. Fred.
PS- You can always ask your retailer to carry the product.

[moo]

LeCarb is avalable in Grestede's, Kings, and several other Retailers in the City.

[moo]

Yes we have yogurt. Not drinkable. Fred.

[PhilipFreneau]

It is a fact that if one stays on the Atkins Diet for 70 or 80 years they have a good chance of dying.

[Ditter]

I haven't tried the Adkins candy bars but I did get some of the Adkins shakes. They make me sick at my stomach, its probably the heavy concentration of vitamins. I make my own shake with milk & fake eggs & add one of my vitamins. Its better. I'll try the candy bars when I find them.

[randita]

The cheapest place I've seen the candy bars is at Sam's Club. Sam's also carries Carb Solutions treats.

[Marie]

My blood pressure went from 145/125 to 105/75 in one month on Atkins. I had not had a "visit from my monthly friend" in 8 months. Within three months I was regular again. I stoppe dloosing my hair, lost 25 pounds, cleared up my acne and regained my muscle tone in 6 months. Atkins works. Sticking with it is not easy, though.

[PianoMan]

Thanks for the info, I will go to Gristede's.

[jellybean]

More hysterical nonsense...