How Safe Is the Atkins Diet?

The Atkins Diet Seems To Never Go Away

Fad diets come and go, but The Atkins Diet, a high-protein,

low-carbohydrate weight-loss plan, seems never to go away,

no matter how many medical professionals denounce it.

"Low-carb diets have been linked to increased frequency of

colon cancer, formation of kidney stones, kidney disease,

and even osteoporosis," says Neal Barnard, MD, president of

the Physicians Commission for Responsible Medicine, a

nonprofit research group based in Washington. "The weight

loss you see in low-carb diets isn't all that much better

than what you see in studies of low-fat, vegetarian diets."

A Pretty Evil Weight Loss Diet

Putting it more bluntly is Kiku Collins-Trentylon, a sports

trainer in New York City, who says it's "a pretty evil diet.

We all want to sit on our couches, eat nonstop, and have

perfect, sculpted bodies. Unfortunately, it doesn't work

that way."

Meat is the culprit in low-carb diet danger, says Barnard.

"The reason for the health worries is in large part due to

red meat," he says. "People who eat meat every day have

three times greater risk of developing colon cancer. And

then there is the problem of the kidneys. They aren't

designed to work on an oil slick of fat."

Big, Fat, High Protein Controversy

In the summer of 2002, however, both Time magazine and The

Sunday New York Times Magazine have published

much-talked-about stories that say Atkins may not be as bad

for heart health as previously believed. These stories were

sparked in part by a recent study from researchers at Duke

University showing most people who ate a high-protein,

low-carb diet for six months lost 20 pounds.

That much was expected. What wasn't expected was that the

researchers didn't see strong evidence of the diet causing

any health problems. In fact, both LDL "bad" cholesterol and

HDL "good" cholesterol improved.

Low Carb Diet Can Produce Significant Weight Loss

The Duke study shows part of why the diet is so popular, it

can produce significant weight loss. It also produces it

without a lot of annoying calorie counting and the

irritability associated with diets.

Known for Easy Weight Loss

"You're not as hungry as with other diets, and that is a

really good thing," says Jenny Anderson, an Internet

consultant from Mamaroneck, N.Y., who is on the diet. "That

makes it easier to stay on it. So does seeing results fairly

quickly. One bad thing is that it forbids caffeine, and I

had a lot of bad headaches from coffee withdrawal."

Another drawback to the low-carb diet is its severely

limited menu options.

"At first, eggs and bacon in butter for breakfast every day

is fun, but day after day of only meat and fat at every meal

can get tiresome," says Anderson.

So therein lies the controversy. On one hand you have lots

of stories of significant weight loss on a relatively

user-friendly diet. On the other, you have dietitians and

nutritionists who maintain that the weight loss produced is

short-term and can threaten a person's overall health,

despite the fact that the weight loss itself may have the

beneficial effect of lowering cholesterol.

Who is right? Maybe both sides. It provides weight loss at a

very high cost to overall health, or at least that has been

the prevailing medical opinion.

Low Carbohydrate Diet May Not Be As Bad As We Thought

"There have been reports in the medical literature that say

that this low-carb diet may not be as bad as we thought,"

says Susan Barr, registered dietitian in New York City.

"That makes people interested again in this diet, but until

there is more research on what stresses the diet places on

the body, there is no way to know what it might be doing

besides providing short-term weight loss.

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About The Author

Michael Lewis has been collecting articles and information on Weight Loss and HGH (Human Growth Hormone and related health benefits. He has created and edits numerous web sites about this subject. Michael is a staff writer for ageforce.com ageforce.com and several other websites. If you would like to contact Michael you can e-mail him at