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Atkins who?

Is that Atkins from the Atkins diet?

Oh boy. Guess the Atkins-Ornish issue is settled.

It can happen to anyone, I thought it was Chet, but then I think he has already gone.

Chet Atkins?
I thought he was already dead.

Oh dear, has he met up with Jim Fixx?

Heart attack does not necessarily mean dead. How is he?

He has given a press release staing that it wasn't becasue of his diet

People, mostly men, have heart attacks...fat, thin, active, inactive, diet conscious, junk food lovers......it's a major health problem in our society.

My favorite "health guru heart attack" was that jogger guy. Not sure of his name. But he was the guy that was promoting jogging as the cure all to weight and health problems. He was all the rage at the time.

Dropped dead of a heart attack in his 30's or early 40's.

Did a terrorist cause it?

I wish Dr. Atkins a fast recovery and many more years of health. Atkins has been proven to be right with his high protein diet - a moderate high protein diet works wonders for many people. The doctor advised I try a high protein diet. I've kept off the 20 pounds lost for a long time now, lowered my blood pressure to normal (it was way too high when I previously was a near-vegetarian!) and now would rather have that steak or bacon than a bowl of pasta or breakfast cereal any day.

NEW YORK — Robert C. Atkins, M.D., author of the immensely popular "Atkins' Diet," admitted at a press conference Thursday the famous diet really started out as a joke.

"Let's face it, eating huge amounts of meats and cheeses to lose weight doesn't make a lot of sense in light of all the current medical evidence," Atkins said. "No, I have to admit, I first thought of it as a sort of prank against a tubby patient who wouldn't pay his bill."

The diet, which espouses high meat and protein intake accompanied by a severe reduction in carbohydrates, has helped millions obtain substantial weight loss. Critics argue the diet puts people at risk.

Atkins used to feel the same way. "I honestly thought it would put people at risk too. In fact, I thought that first patient would easily gain another 100 pounds."

Instead, and much to his surprise, the obese patient had lost almost 75 pounds. Atkins realized he was onto something and immediately bought a houseboat with the expectation of riches beyond his wildest dreams.

"I couldn't believe it when he first prescribed the diet," former patient Peter Flint said. "I thought any diet that included all the sausage I wanted was a true miracle."

Flint also thought it was a miracle when he could look down and easily see both his feet and his penis -- both of which were thought to be lost forever in the thick folds of flab.

"I don't care if the doctor really is an evil bastard," Flint said. "I can now see my penis, for God's sake. I can't thank the man enough."

what a fruitcake. the ketogenic diet is suitable for only brief periods.

at least he defraud tons of morons for millions of dollars. the only means of survival man has is his mind. when he abandons logic and can no longer discern the truth via reason, he is doomed.
this explains the seeming insanity we are all seeing today. emotions are not tools of cognition.

on the other hand, we are witnessing the extinction of the dumb. atlas will shrug.

There is a reason why obesity is low in China and other asian countries. They eat mostly rice and vegetables and meat is only as a condiment.

Magnus, here's the skinny (sorry, couldn't resist) on Dr. A's medical emergency:

From this link:
"Truly Low Carb message board

"Indeed, Dr. Atkins did suffer a medical emergency on Thursday, April 18 during breakfast. He is currently in stable condition, alert and resting under his physician's care.

As per the latest information from his doctor, the likely cause of this event was the fact that, over the past 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."

If Dr. A has had this infection for such a long period of time, you guys cannot blame his heart emergency on his eating habits, for goodness' sake.

It's a great diet if you don't mind feeling as though cheese is oozing through your pores.

Here's the statement from Atkins' website:

Statement on the Status of Dr. Robert C. Atkins’ Health from Dr. Atkins and from the Chief Executive Officer/President of The Atkins Companies

April 25, 2002

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™ 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.”

I am sorry to hear about Dr. Atkins. I hope he makes a rapid and complete recovery. But I can't say I'm terribly surprised.

Certainly the Atkins plan has its vigorous defenders, on this forum and elsewhere. Most arguments in its defense are anectotal, or personal. You know, "I eat Spam fried in butter and a cheese omelet for breakfast every day, and I never felt better." Not unlike people who will point out that they smoke two packs a day, but are in (seemingly) good health. But there is an absolute linear statistical relationship between the consumption of fat in excess of recommended daily allowances and early mortality, just as there is a demonstrable relationship between smoking and early mortality. If YOU are beating the odds (so far), good for you. I subscribe to the wisdom of the great journalist Damon Runyan: "It may be that the race is not always to the swift, or the contest to the strong, but that's the way to bet."

There is no doubt whatever that strict adherence to the Atkins plan will result in short-term weight loss, and rather rapidly, too, as the body struggles to dilute the excess protein and fat with all the water it can flush out of its tissues and excrete. That accounts for the plan's renewed popularity. But the weight loss comes at a great cost, which need not be reiterated here.

Suffice it to say that fat causes fat. What is intuitively obvious is, in this case, true. It's the Alfredo sauce, not the pasta. It's the sour cream and bacon bits, not the baked potato. It's the cheeseburger, not the bun. Atkinites will disagree, and nothing I can say will dissuade them. Without doubt, if you look hard enough, you can find a doctor who endorses your favorite foods, or is willing to do so if he can translate his theory into a best-selling book. Peanut butter, chocolate, cabbage soup, gin, whatever gullible people will swallow (so to speak).

Those who think that carbohydrates are the cause of obesity should be careful to draw a distinction between "simple" and quickly digested carbohydrates such as white flour and sugar, and "complex" carbohydrate-fiber blends such as whole grains and beans. But even "simple" carbohydrates, while they constitute "empty calories," and don't do you much good, don't do nearly the harm to your blood vessals, heart, liver, etc. as fat, especially of the saturated variety.

Best wishes to all FReepers for good health and a long life, however you accomplish it. Think of the long-term ramifications if we outlived the liberals by ten years, on average.

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."