Atkins Had a heart attack

Yeah, they have some impressive bastards at Westside....As to the Age thing...see above..: (

Oh dear, has he met up with Jim Fixx?

I read about Fixx once and people did balk at his early death—"This guy runs marathons and look what happened to him!" But it was pointed out that his father died young, too. Also, he was a stressed-out Wall Street type who over smoked/drank/etc. prior to his running days.

Finally, they pointed out that, at least, the man's quality of life was improved by his healthy ways. On this I agree. None of us are guaranteed the next breath, but our lives ARE less burdensome if our bodies aren't all screwed up by excess. (And I KNOW about excess!)

I've been competing in football, track & field and weight lifting competitions since age 14. I've got more broken bones & weight lifting injuries than I care to relive, but looking back I have no regrets other than not persuing a baseball career. But Football, Shot put throwing & Weight lifting put the kabosh on my fastball, oh well kay cera cera.

I told someone I lost 30 pounds. He said, "Turn around, you'll find it."

Bahahaha.....

Anyone who understand carbohydrate metabolism will tell you that eating them in excess is bad for you. Excess of anything really. Fats are just another kind of food, there are good fats and bad fats. Saturated fats are the bad guys, but there are quite a few good, and necessary fats. Fats are not evil.

I don't disagree. I'm very much in the low-fat (but certainly not in the no-fat) school of thought, and I strive to make what fat I do consume to be mostly mono-unsaturated, such as olive oil. And certainly I don't think that an occasional steak will kill you. And of course too much of anything can be bad for you. But I contend that Atkins advocates (or permits) grossly too much fat, and too much protein as well.

One thing's for certain: the argument won't be solved here. But I'll continue my omniverous ways, with an emphasis on vegetables and whole grains; that plan has served me well.

Yeah those guy's are pretty damn impressive. (50 years old, now that's impressive) I know there are probably a lot of people on this website that probably don't believe the poundages we're talking about much less what these guys are pushing. All I can say is that the human body is capable of super human feats of strengths with proper genetics, training & diet.

And, interestingly enough, they're the only ones who've mnaged to keep off what they've lost.

Truly, the "long-haul" approach to health is the best. It is much less appealing when you feel fat and want to get into some swimwear yesterday, but like you pointed out quick weight loss never sticks.

Any diet that sets you up for rebellion by being basically un-liveable is bad.

April 25, 2002, Thursday 11:01 AM Eastern Time

SECTION: DOMESTIC NEWS

DISTRIBUTION: TO MEDICAL AND NATIONAL EDITORS

LENGTH: 555 words

HEADLINE: Statement on the Status of Dr. Robert C. Atkins' Health From Dr. Atkins and From the Chief Executive Officer/President of the Atkins Companies

DATELINE: NEW YORK, April 25

BODY: On Thursday April 18, Dr. Robert C. Atkins, the well-known nutrition expert and best selling author, did, in fact, experience cardiac arrest during breakfast. He was quickly revived by an associate and taken to the hospital. As this was not a heart attack (or myocardial infarction), but a cardiac arrest related to an infection of the heart he has been suffering from for a few years. Dr. Atkins experienced a speedy recovery and was released from the hospital on Wednesday, April 24. In fact, Dr. Atkins hopes to return to his responsibilities, including local speaking engagements and as chairman of the Dr. Robert C. Atkins Foundation, within the next week or so. His doctors have advised him to curtail his travel plans for the next 30 days as a precautionary measure.

The cause of this event was cardiomyopathy, not blocked arteries. Over the last couple of years, Dr. Atkins has had an infection of the heart muscle (called the myocardium) contracted during an overseas trip. Coupled with the extreme heat conditions of mid-April here in New York, the 71-year old Dr. Atkins suffered this event. "We have been treating this condition, cardiomyopathy, for almost two years," explains Patrick Fratellone MD, Dr. Atkins' personal physician and cardiologist, "and during the course of diagnosis, we discovered that Dr. Atkins' coronary arteries were normal as diagnosed by an angiogram performed at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital on the upper west side of New York City in April of 2001. Clearly, his own nutritional protocols have left him, at the age of 71, with an extraordinarily healthy cardiovascular system. Unfortunately, the infection-related cardiomyopathy is totally another matter."

"I have had cardiomyopathy, which is a non-coronary condition and is in no way related to diet," says Dr. Atkins.

Cardiac arrest is an event in which the heart abruptly stops. It is not the same thing as heart attack in which the heart is severely deprived of oxygen but still beating. Certainly a heart attack (or myocardial infarction) is one of the known causes of cardiac arrest, but there are several others that have nothing to do with blocked arteries and other problems typically associated with a heart attack.

Cardiomyopathy is a condition in which the heart's ability to pump blood is weakened because of enlargement, thickening or stiffening of the heart muscle. In Dr. Atkins' case, this cardiomyopathy was caused by an infection that spread to his heart muscle.

"Up until today, this has been a personal and private family matter for Dr. Atkins. It is unfortunate for the family that it has not remained so," said Paul Wolff, Chief Executive Officer/President of The Atkins Companies. "The Atkins Nutritional Approach(TM) is based on controlled carbohydrate nutritional science and has helped millions of people achieve their goals of weight loss, weight maintenance, good health and increased energy for the past 30 years."

April 25, 2002, Thursday 11:01 AM Eastern Time

SECTION: DOMESTIC NEWS

DISTRIBUTION: TO MEDICAL AND NATIONAL EDITORS

LENGTH: 555 words

HEADLINE: Statement on the Status of Dr. Robert C. Atkins' Health From Dr. Atkins and From the Chief Executive Officer/President of the Atkins Companies

DATELINE: NEW YORK, April 25

BODY: On Thursday April 18, Dr. Robert C. Atkins, the well-known nutrition expert and best selling author, did, in fact, experience cardiac arrest during breakfast. He was quickly revived by an associate and taken to the hospital. As this was not a heart attack (or myocardial infarction), but a cardiac arrest related to an infection of the heart he has been suffering from for a few years. Dr. Atkins experienced a speedy recovery and was released from the hospital on Wednesday, April 24. In fact, Dr. Atkins hopes to return to his responsibilities, including local speaking engagements and as chairman of the Dr. Robert C. Atkins Foundation, within the next week or so. His doctors have advised him to curtail his travel plans for the next 30 days as a precautionary measure.

The cause of this event was cardiomyopathy, not blocked arteries. Over the last couple of years, Dr. Atkins has had an infection of the heart muscle (called the myocardium) contracted during an overseas trip. Coupled with the extreme heat conditions of mid-April here in New York, the 71-year old Dr. Atkins suffered this event. "We have been treating this condition, cardiomyopathy, for almost two years," explains Patrick Fratellone MD, Dr. Atkins' personal physician and cardiologist, "and during the course of diagnosis, we discovered that Dr. Atkins' coronary arteries were normal as diagnosed by an angiogram performed at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital on the upper west side of New York City in April of 2001. Clearly, his own nutritional protocols have left him, at the age of 71, with an extraordinarily healthy cardiovascular system. Unfortunately, the infection-related cardiomyopathy is totally another matter."

"I have had cardiomyopathy, which is a non-coronary condition and is in no way related to diet," says Dr. Atkins.

Cardiac arrest is an event in which the heart abruptly stops. It is not the same thing as heart attack in which the heart is severely deprived of oxygen but still beating. Certainly a heart attack (or myocardial infarction) is one of the known causes of cardiac arrest, but there are several others that have nothing to do with blocked arteries and other problems typically associated with a heart attack.

Cardiomyopathy is a condition in which the heart's ability to pump blood is weakened because of enlargement, thickening or stiffening of the heart muscle. In Dr. Atkins' case, this cardiomyopathy was caused by an infection that spread to his heart muscle.

"Up until today, this has been a personal and private family matter for Dr. Atkins. It is unfortunate for the family that it has not remained so," said Paul Wolff, Chief Executive Officer/President of The Atkins Companies. "The Atkins Nutritional Approach(TM) is based on controlled carbohydrate nutritional science and has helped millions of people achieve their goals of weight loss, weight maintenance, good health and increased energy for the past 30 years."

OK thanks, I'll take the double double with extra cheese, oops forgot, throw in the three, no make that four, pieces of slab bacon, and some pork rinds. The Adkins diet is a prescription for a coronary bypass, where did you get your information. Oh, that's right, Adkins!

Thanks very much, i was a little late. I appreciate you finding this.

That wouldn't be a bad total. I just did my first meet last Saturday, and uh, I'm not mentioning my total. :-)

Who knew there were so many gymrats on FR?

I've never read such idiocy. An intake of excess calories above what you burn makes you fat. That's it.

The materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press. These materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The Associated Press.

April 25, 2002, Thursday, BC cycle

3:58 PM Eastern Time

SECTION: State and Regional

LENGTH: 142 words

HEADLINE: Diet doctor recovering from cardiac arrest

DATELINE: NEW YORK

BODY:

Dr. Robert Atkins, who promotes a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet, said Thursday he is recovering from cardiac arrest caused by a heart infection.

The 71-year-old doctor said his illness "is in no way related to diet." In a statement issued to the press and posted on his companies' Internet site, Atkins said his heart stopped beating during breakfast at his Manhattan home on April 18. He was revived by an associate, taken to a hospital and released Wednesday.

"This was not a heart attack but a cardiac arrest related to an infection of the heart he has been suffering from for a few years," the statement said.

A spokeswoman, Melissa Sodolski, said Atkins was at home on Thursday and would be cutting back on travel for about a month.

Atkins is the author of a current paperback best seller, "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution."

LOAD-DATE: April 25, 2002

What side effects from excess protein consumption should I look out for?

Increased muscle mass?

Fat loss?

Hence, it would be inappropriate to say that Atkins diet was the cause of Atkins suffering a heart problem, at least, based on this news report.

Go to post 249 & check out that Website, man those guy's are awsome. Talk about some good totals, those guy's are studs. Just out of curiosity what age group do you fall in, remember age is going to play a big factor in your strength.

Was your Bench Press a stop & go competition?

lol

Certainly the Atkins plan has its vigorous defenders, on this forum and elsewhere. Most arguments in its defense are anectotal, or personal.

I researched the plan quite a bit a few months ago and found that to be (kinda) true. The majority of the diets defenders were speaking from personal experience and the majority of detractors were using anecdotal evidence:

"My boss's brother's barber did that diet and in one month he grew hair on his palms and his heart exploded."

You know, "I eat Spam fried in butter and a cheese omelet for breakfast every day, and I never felt better."

You do realize this is not really what the plan dictates, don't you?