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

[SamAdams76]

Interesting. My wife had to have her gall bladder removed and she has struggled with weight her whole life. Often with those dreadful "low-fat" diets. What misery it was for her to have to measure everything and count calories and all that.

She is now on her second week of the Atkins plan. She does not want to try my low-carb approach because she likes a plan well laid out that she can stick with. I wish her luck and only wish she would come out and exercise with me.

[christie]

Let's see—how do you fatten cows?

Grains.

'nuff said.

[christie]

A friend of mine told me she had bought lo-fat half-and-half.

I told her there was not such thing.

The labels said lo-fat, she said

I asked her to read the label.

The main ingredient was corn syrup.

She just didn't get it that she wasn't buying something healthy. It did say lo-fat, after all.

[SamAdams76]

I'm from Italian extraction - give up pasta? When you pry it from my cold, dead hands...LOL!

Actually in a low-carb plan, you can still have most of the rest of the foods in a typical Italian (Mediterranean) diet. Olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, wine, fish, lamb, nuts, etc. All of that great stuff is either low-carb or low-glycemic carb - okay to eat.

I used to be a pasta lover myself. Can't say that I miss them now. And once I take off all my weight, I do plan to introduce bread and rice back into my diet, sparingly, of course. Don't know if I'll ever have pasta again however. I think I've lost my desire for it.

[XBob]

80 - "Well, yesterday was my first day on the diet."

Congratulations. Keep it up. The first few days are the worst, until you get into 'ketosis'. Be sure to test your urine for ketones, and don't eat any carbs initially. Once you get into 'ketosis' (not keto acidocis - which is dangerous), you will no longer be hungry, and the pounds will 'melt off', initially, mostly water.

After you are on it for a week or two, you can introduduce limited amounts of carbohydrates, and I mean really limited, like a few stalks of celery.

This diet will 'dry' you out, and if you eat carbs, you will go out of 'ketosis' and be hungry again, in fact ravenous. And your body will become a sponge for water. I screwed up and gave in when some friends invited me out for dinner at a mexican resturant, and I had a 'moderate' mexican meal at the Monterey House, not noted for their 'generous' portions, and I gained 8 lbs overnight, and it took me 3 weeks to get back down and into ketosis again. But it can be done.

Hang in there and keep testing for ketones.

[SamAdams76]

This is what concerns me about Atkins, the long term consequences and the effect on the kidneys excereting huge amounts of nitrogenous by-products of protein metabolism. That, along with the lack of fruits/veggies for their beneficial antioxidents, fiber and phytochemicals.

I don't understand your last sentence at all. Since going low-carb, I've never eaten so many vegetables in my life. What made you think a low-carb plan limits vegetables (except for that two-week induction plan under Atkins)? As for fruit, I stay away from juices but I still have plenty of those as well. Especially blueberries and strawberries.

[Right Wing Professor]

No kidding. People crack me up when they say things like: "Maybe that Atkins diet works for a while but as soon as you go off it, the weight comes right back on."

I've noticed that about breathing too. Sure, you're fine as long as you continue to inhale air, but once you stop, 5 minutes tops, you're dead.

[XBob]

82 - "The food pyramid needs to be changed if we are ever to halt the obesity related health epidemic in this country.
"

How right you are. I call it the 'sell wheat' food pyramid. In fact, there is nothing scientific about it, as it was developed by 2 lawyers working for the election of that North Dakota (a great wheat growing state) Senator (I forget his name now) just before the 1972 presidential election. Notice, it is the USDA (dept of Agriculture) food pyramid, not the (FDA - Federal Drug Admin) food pyramid, and it is actually turned on it's head, exactly bass-ackwards / upside down for many of us.

[Ditter]

I am almost at the end of my first 2 weeks of a low carb diet. There was some discomfort during the first week when my fat screamed out for carbs but I think that is all *behind* me now (chuckle). Stay committed, it will work for you too.

[montag813]

This is so silly. Prehistoric men lived by eating mostly (raw) meat. Germans eat twice the amount of meat per capita as do Americans, yet have lower rates of cancer and heart disease.

[meyer]

The atkins diet would never work for me. I eat starches like crazy, cookies, bagels, pasta, cokes. I need the fuel. I'm burning on average about 5000 calories a day and weigh only 119 lbs.

119??? If your freeper name is any indication, I'd guess that you are male. That seems awful light. I take it you do a great deal of running.

[Dusty Rose]

By "low carb" I think you mean "simple sugars." Vegetables, however, are composed of complex carbohydrates, very little protein, and - in general -- almost no fat. If you are truly going low carb, you'd have to eliminate the veggies as well, at least that's my understanding, and substitute meat, fish and poultry, eggs, high fat dairy (including cheese), peanut butter, oils, and nuts. Many of these foods are high in saturated fats; that's why there is a concern about monitoring cholesterol levels. The good news is that the triglyceride portion of cholesterol may decrease on the Atkins, since high sugar intake may make the triglyceride levels high. That's why I think anyone on this diet needs to have cholesterol levels checked regularly. For some, total cholesterol may decrease, and for others, it may increase. As you say, after the "induction plan," Atkins may allow for added fruits and veggies. ? I've never followed the plan and am still learning about it. Friends of mine have reported success, but my concerns are with the long-term health consequences.

[dansangel]

In all seriousness, I wish you all the success in the world. It is a great accomplishment to lose weight, keep it off and feel healthy once again. There are many ways to accomplish this, and some ways work better than others for some folks. Keep up the good work!

I *still* can't imagine life without pasta, though. :-)

[dansangel]

LOL! We must be twins!

If not twins, people of *very* good taste.

Have a great evening! :-)

[PlanoMike]

As a Type 2, going on a low carb diet has really helped!!

[meyer]

Amazing results, that's wonderful! I've actually heard of the type of "carb addiction" you talk about. They think it's a similar reaction that alcoholics have; that's why many who quit drinking make up for the booze with desserts and carb snacks.

You ain't lived until you've chased down wedding cake with beer. :)

[ladyinred]

Please pull this from Breaking News.

To some this might be breaking news!!!! Wow.

[theophilusscribe]

You too! :o)

[ladyinred]

I believe that the Atkins diet is basically sound, although I would recommend the Suzanne Somers version which is more healthy and similar.The low fat craze is what has made American's fat IMO.

[meyer]

Unfortunately, no protein, no fat in beer.

Actually, there is a little protein in beer - the Bud Light sitting in front of me has 0.9 grams of protein. It would take an awfully large amount of them to get what I need, plus its incomplete protein, I'm sure.

Carb-wise, it has 6.6 grams per beer. Michelob has a low carb beer that cuts that in half, and Miller light is considerably lower (also tastes like horse-pee IMHO).