The Dangers of the
by Dr. David E. Norwood
of the most popular diets of the late 20th Century
has been the Atkins protein diet, named after
its founder and guru Dr. Robert C. Atkins. With
more than six million copies in print, Dr. Atkins'
New Diet Revolution proclaims to be "the amazing
no-hunger weight-loss plan that has helped millions
lose weight and keep it off" (Atkins). Sounds
great, but what is this diet, and is it too
good to be true?
The purpose of the Atkins diet is to change
your metabolism and lose weight easily by eating
foods high in protein and limiting foods high
in carbohydrates, which tend to raise blood
sugar levels the most. The diet works on the
principle of ketosis - a process by which excess,
stored body fat can be burned (as well as protein),
resulting in weight loss.
Dr. Atkins claims that the eating of foods
high in carbohydrates causes the secretion of
increased levels of insulin in the blood. The
increased levels of insulin cause any excess
food intake to be turned into body fat, in the
form of triglycerides. Thus, if lower amounts
of carbohydrates are consumed, the body naturally
produces less insulin and looks to other sources
for fuel, namely FAT! For this reason, the Atkins
diet restricts processed and refined carbohydrates
and limits intake to 15-60 grams per day, encouraging
protein and fat consumption.
As compelling as it may sound, the presented
information on the widely acclaimed success
of the Atkins diet must be examined in terms
of who presents this information and what their
motivation is for presenting it. The majority
of the above claims come from the Atkins' Center
web page. Whether presented as a "news" press
release or as an article on Dr. Atkins, the
entire web page has one underlying motivation
- to convince people that the Atkins diet is
The Way to lose weight, so people will then
go out and buy Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution.
Looking at the other side of the coin, numerous
health organizations and medical professionals
have sharply criticized the Atkins' diet, both
for what it does to the body and for what it
does not do for the body.
According to Dr. Chris Rosenbloom of the ADA
(American Dietetic Association), "You might
be setting yourself up for (health) problems
down the road."
The Atkins Diet, and others like it, trigger
short-term weight loss through a process called
ketosis. Ketosis occurs whenever the body lacks
a sufficient supply of carbohydrates, a prime
source of energy. During ketosis, carbohydrate-depleted
metabolisms turn to other sources, including
ketones from stored fat or protein, to satisfy
daily energy needs. (more of Ketosis later)
"So you do lose weight," Rosenbloom says. "The
first bit of weight loss is water weight, the
carbohydrate that's in your muscles, and then
as you progress on the diet you will lose some
fat, but you will also lose some muscle mass."
Rosenbloom and the ADA believe that this type
of diet can have a negative long-term impact
on health. "It's so high in cholesterol and
fat and total fat -- the opposite of what all
the health organizations, from the American
Heart Association to the American Dietetic Association,
recommend," Rosenbloom points out. And she noted
that the diet "is also low in fruits and vegetables
and whole grains"-- foods with proven health
benefits. While some of the vitamins and minerals
in these foods can be obtained through supplements,
other benefits -- like fiber or phytochemicals
-- can only be found at the source.
In recent years the American Dietetic Association
has become concerned with the increasing amount
of misinformation on food and nutrition circulating
in the U.S. The Association released a paper
to inform and guide the segment of the population
who may be victims of consumer misinformation.
Much of this information is blatantly in contrast
to the methods of weight loss heralded by Dr.
First of all, Atkins claims that it is normal
and even desirable that in the Induction phase
of the diet the individual loses 5 pounds or
more the first week. The American Dietetic Association,
however, maintains that in order to avoid potential
health hazards one should only lose 1-2 pounds
per week. Pounds lost quickly on diets like
Atkins are often regained because faulty habits
have not been changed. Another area where the
American Dietetic Association disagrees with
Atkins is with fat intake. Low carbohydrate
ketogenic diets (such as the Atkins' diet) are
often high in fat, which may increase cholesterol
and lead to many other health risks.
The American Institute for Cancer Research
has also evaluated the Atkins' diet and their
assessment is quite alarming. They say that
the high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate
Atkins diet tends to promote the loss of water
weight, and thatif such an imbalanced diet
is maintained, the body soon reverts to the
fasting state of ketosis, in which the body
begins to break down muscle tissue instead of
fat over the long term.
Ketosis is one of the body's last-ditch emergency
responses; deliberately inducing ketosis can
lead to muscle breakdown, nausea, dehydration,
headaches, light-headedness, irritability, bad
breath, and kidney problems. In pregnancy, ketosis
may cause fetal abnormality or death. It can
also be fatal in individuals with diabetes!
While supporters of the Atkins diet concentrate
so much on the fat burning capability of ketosis
they neglect to mention that over the long term
protein, and thus muscle, is also burned!
Over an extended period of time, the Atkins
diet can give rise to other health risks, as
well. By restricting carbohydrates, all four
diets inevitably lead to a lack of fiber, which
can cause constipation and other gastrointestinal
difficulties. In addition, the high amounts
of cholesterol and saturated fat they prescribe
increase the risk of heart disease and, possibly,
some cancers. There is recent evidence that
a diet featuring excessive protein may leach
calcium from the bones (giving rise to osteoporosis).
Finally, nothing about the Atkins diet encourages
the dieter to learn some very basic weight management
strategies like portion control and serving
sizes, let alone develop the skills necessary
for a lifetime of balanced nutrition.
I would therefore strongly advise no one to
use the Atkins diet. Sure, you'll lose weight
over the short term - but at what expense to
your body in the long term! Many people will
tell you that this diet has worked for them.
But how do they know what permanent damage has
been done to their bodies which will only come
to light in the future?
So what is a good, safe way to lose
fat? Essentially, diets that work involve
a reduction in your calorie intake and an increase
in your body's energy output WITHOUT being unhealthy
or dangerous. Every dietician and/or nutritionist
will tell you than a diet program which reduces
weight permanently and healthily involves gradual
weight loss - an average of 2-3 pounds a week.
This diet program must also retrain your eating
habits so that you'll not easily fall back into
the behavior that made you overweight in the
For more of Dr. Norwood's
wisdom and guidance, please check out the
Norwood Weight Loss Program.
to determine how much protein you need each
If you don't want to
take someone else's views of the Atkins Diet
as fact, read the books and form your own opinion:
the Dr. Atkins' "New Diet Revolution"
book for $3.80
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