Just who are these low-carb experts?
11:56 AM PST on Thursday, March 18, 2004
The Press-Enterprise
Barry Sears
Sears studied drug delivery systems and dietary control of hormonal response before striking diet gold in 1995 with his book "The Zone."
His low-carb diet calls for maintaining insulin levels in that "zone," which Sears says creates energy-producing calories.
"What you need is a hormonal ATM card to release them," he writes. "Maintaining insulin in tight zone is that ATM card."
Before writing "The Zone," Sears worked with Stanford University's swim team, using his techniques to increase their capacity for oxygen transfer. Team members won eight gold medals in the 1992 Olympics and nine at the 1996 games.
Dr. Robert Atkins
The late physician developed the low-carb Atkins Diet Plan, which made its first big splash in the early 1970s. Attacked by critics who called his low-carb approach to rapid weight loss not only temporary, but dangerous, the low-fat diet pushed Atkins out of the spotlight.
But in recent years, research that found the Atkins diet effective sparked the low-carb craze we see today, and spawned what he described as imitators including Barry Sears and Michael Eades.
Atkins died last year at 72 after falling and striking his head on an icy sidewalk, but his diet marches on, although recent media stories described Atkins as obese at the time of his death.
Dr. Arthur Agatston
An expert in cardiology and non-invasive cardiac diagnostics, this New York-trained physician traded the city that never sleeps for the white sands of Miami.
It was there Agatston developed the South Beach Diet, which he describes as "the delicious, doctor-designed, foolproof plan for fast and healthy weight loss."
The South Beach diet is touted as "not low-fat or low-carb. It teaches you to rely on the right carbs and the right fats."
An article in Newsweek Magazine last may pondered the question, is Agatston the next Atkins?
"...The real value of the book is its sound nutritional advice. It retains the best part of the Atkins regime - meat - while losing the tenet that all carbs should be avoided," Newsweek wrote.
"Instead, Agatston encourages a well-balanced diet that includes plenty of fruit, vegetables and whole grains, plus nuts and healthy oils..."
Ultimately, Agatston might be better remembered as one of the developers of an electron beam screening methods that detects artery diseases.
Using these scans, the severity of the disease is gauged on the "Agatston scale."
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