The highly respected Medical Letter calls it "unbalanced, unsound and unsafe." The Council on Foods and Nutrition of the American Medical Association refers to it as a "bizarre regimen without any scientific merit." The chair of the board of the New York County Medical Association describes it as "unethical and self-aggrandizing."
If you're wondering what these people are talking about, it's "Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution" whose author, Dr. Robert C. Atkins, was the subject of congressional hearings by Senator George McGovern and his Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs.
Atkins was not a nutritionist but a cardiologist. He became interested in diets while working as a medical consultant for the American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) in 1963. Concerned about his weight, he studied several medical journals and textbooks before coming up with his so-called "diet revolution" in 1964. His popular book followed eight years later.
The secret of staying slim, he claimed, is to eliminate carbohydrates from the diet and to eat a lot of fat. In his diet plan, he said you can eat as much as 5,000 calories daily, sit around all day, and still lose weight.
All this is possible because a high-fat and no carbohydrate diet cause the body to release ketones, unburned chemicals that are the products of fat metabolism. Since there are no carbohydrates to burn as fuel, the body reacts by secreting a fat-mobilizing hormone (FMH) which, Atkins explained, burns fat.
By creating an induced state of ketosis (or elevated levels of ketones in the blood) similar to that found in diabetics and those who fast, Atkins said anyone can eat as much fat and protein as he wants without worrying about his weight. This is because ketones, which are made from body fat, are used instead of carbohydrates. These substances, he added, are also being sneaked out of the body in the urine and breath, making weight loss even faster.
Following this diet for a week will supposedly enable men to lose seven to eight pounds while women will lose five or six pounds. After this, you may gradually add carbohydrates to your diet until the body stops releasing ketones. This is your critical carbohydrate level which you should maintain to continue losing weight. That, in a nutshell, is Atkins' diet revolution.
There are many reasons to be skeptical of Atkins' claims. First, he claimed he treated about 10,000 patients with his diet but he never published any studies about this - hardly the kind of reaction you'd expect from a man with a revolutionary idea.
"A frequent criticism leveled at Dr. Atkins is that if, indeed, he discovered a new nutritional principle, the proper place to announce and explain it would have been in a medical journal or at a medical meeting. Dr. Atkins did neither," revealed Theodore Berland in Consumer Guide's "Rating the Diets."
Atkins argued that it would be much too expensive to do that, considering the number of subjects. Ironically, he didn't mind the thousands of dollars he poured in legal fees to defend his book and his theory. Second, no "diet revolution" appears to have taken place. The concepts Atkins espoused - that of a high fat and low carbohydrate diet - were popularized in Great Britain by a coffin-maker over a hundred years ago. Third, most of the weight loss caused by this diet is due to water not body fat.
The high intake of cholesterol and saturated fats which Atkins recommended can make one susceptible to heart disease and some forms of cancers, according to Kurt Butler and Dr. Lynne Rayner of the University of Hawaii in "The Best Medicine." Furthermore, the state of ketosis which Atkins required for the dieter to maintain weight is dangerous. It can lead to coma and death. True enough, the revolutionary doctor developed a heart condition in 2000 and died three years later.
If you're concerned about your weight, don't fall for dangerous diets. Consult a reliable doctor for the right advice. To help you lose those extra pounds, taking a supplement like Zylorin may help. This powerful fat burner will enhance your diet and exercise program. Check out zylorin.com zylorin.com for details.
Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine thearticleinsiders.com thearticleinsiders.com
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