BTW, a couple of people asked me if I am on the Atkins Diet (or some variant thereof). The answer is no. I do not think that the Atkins diet is a good idea for you or your health. It will, unquestionably, help you achieve short term weight loss. But it will do so only by raising the risk of other problems, some of them long term and nasty.
Here is a web site that summarizes medical problems with the Atkins diet:
atkinsdietalert.org
Consumer Advisory
Health Risks of High-Protein Diets
Recent media reports have publicized the short-term weight loss that sometimes occurs with the use of very-high-protein weight-loss diets. Some of these reports have distorted medical facts and have ignored the potential risks of such diets. Past experience with the fen-phen drug combination and other weight-loss regimens has shown that some people may disregard even serious long-term health risks in hopes of short-term weight loss.
We would like to notify you of (1) risks from the long-term use of high-protein diets, (2) currently circulating misunderstandings and deceptive statements made in support of such diets, and (3) the establishment of a registry for individuals who have followed such diets.
Health Risks
Despite press accounts of seemingly dramatic weight loss, the effect of high-protein diets on body weight is similar to that of other weight-reduction diets. Two recent studies (one at Duke University1 and a second at the University of Pennsylvania, whose results are as yet unpublished) suggest that the average weight loss with high-protein diets during the first six months of use is approximately 20 pounds. This is not demonstrably greater than that which occurs with other weight-loss regimens or with low-fat, vegetarian diets.2
High-protein, very-low-carbohydrate, weight-loss diets are designed to induce ketosis, an abnormal state that also occurs in uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and starvation. Over the long run, ketosis can contribute to a variety of physical problems, including calcium losses, increased risk of osteoporosis, and an increased propensity to form kidney stones.3
High-protein diets typically contain higher-than-recommended amounts of dietary cholesterol, fat, saturated fat, and protein, and very low levels of fiber and some other important dietary constituents. The Nutrition Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism of the American Heart Association states, “High-protein diets are not recommended because they restrict healthful foods that provide essential nutrients and do not provide the variety of foods needed to adequately meet nutritional needs. Individuals who follow these diets are therefore at risk for compromised vitamin and mineral intake, as well as potential cardiac, renal, bone, and liver abnormalities overall.”4
A nutrient analysis of the sample menus for the three stages of the Atkins diet as described in Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution (pp. 257-259) is presented below. The menus analyzed were as follows:
<to continue go to Web site at atkinsdietalert.org |
