Weight Loss Information

Atkins Diet Plan -- Are Low Carb Diets Doomed?

Medifast Offer (US) Lose weight with Medifast Diet - Two weeks Free Food Offer

HoodiaMaxx Free Trial
Drop 25 lbs in 25 days - $1 Offer plus S&H.
Buy Hoodia Gordonii at Discount Price
Ready to buy - Discount Offer, Hoodia Gordonii for Weight loss - International Shipping Available.

According to Veronica Atkins, the widow of Dr. Robert Atkins, the cause of his death was from falling on a slippery sidewalk with subsequent irreversible brain damage (from a CNN interview, February, 2004). Many critics of the Atkins Diet Plan claim the fall was due to a heart attack. This has not been verified to date.

He was 72 years old.

With all due respect to Veronica Atkins, I would like to assume Dr. Atkins did in fact suffer a fatal heart attack. This is in order to answer the following questions...

  • Is it right to use his death as evidence against the safety of the Atkins Diet Plan and other low Carb diets?

  • Does the recent bankruptcy of the Atkins Corporation provide evidence for the ineffectiveness of low Carb diets?

  • Many critics of low Carb diets say yes to both questions, but are they right?
  • The Atkins Diet Plan & Cardiovascular Risk

    Medically speaking, it is incorrect to associate Dr. Atkins' fatal heart attack to the use of his low Carb diet. There are two reasons for coming to this conclusion.

  • The increased risk for cardiovascular events associated with Atkins Diet Plan are not from restricting carbohydrates. Instead, the higher risk of cardiovascular events comes from replacing carbohydrates with foods high in saturated fats.

  • Dr. Atkins died at the age of 72. Beyond the age of 72, the risk for a cardiovascular event is the same for everyone. Granted, he was diagnosed with a cardiomyopathy (diseased heart muscle) when he was 69 and he suffered a heart attack in early 2004.

    However, both events occurred well above the age of 55...the cut off used for men to assign an increased risk for cardiovascular events to their first degree relatives. He was at an age which allows for the exclusion of any significant cardiovascular risk passing to his children.

  • From an epidemiology view point, risk behaviors like smoking or eating a high fat diet are no longer considered as primary contributors in Dr. Atkins' death.

    Yes, eating a high fat diet may have played a role, but this is only speculation. Because Dr. Atkins was 72 at the time of his death, no risk for similar events is passed onto his first degree relatives and the risk for cardiovascular events is the same for everyone at that age.

    With all due respect, he died of old age. To blame the Atkins Diet Plan and low Carb diets in general is medically irresponsible. At 72 years old, there are several factors to consider when faced with a fatal heart attack, including the aging process itself.

    Veronica Atkins was quoted by CNN...

    "My husbands health at the time of his death is a sad and distracting sideshow, taking time away from an intelligent debate of the known science."

    For a more detailed discussion on cardiovascular risk and age, please visit...

    www.medscape.com

    Low Carb Bankruptcy -- Evidence for its Ineffectiveness?

    The only correct way to measure a diet's effectiveness (or lack there of) is to study the evidence provided by clinical trials. Recently, a few good studies have reported on the effectiveness of the Atkins Diet Plan and other low Carb diets.

    In short, low Carb diets, measured at one year, are safe and effective in helping dieters lose weight.

    Like all diet types, the evidence for long term effectiveness (2 to 5 years) is sparse and inconsistent.

    Cardiovascular risk increases for some dieters on low Carb diets, not because of the carbohydrate restriction, but because of the consumption of foods high in fat. Also, sticking with the low Carb diet appears to be tough for most dieters beyond one year.

    And lastly, low Carb diets that promote long stages of measurable ketosis may cause rapid weight loss that is too extreme. This is a great way to guarantee weight regain in the near future.

    Conclusion

    Atkins death, from whatever the cause, can not be associated with his diet because he was 72 years old at the time of his death. Even if Dr. Atkins' death could be associated with his diet, no correlations could be made to similar low Carb diets, too much variation exists between them.

    Bankruptcy does not belong in a scientific discussion of a diet's effectiveness.

    To Healthy Living!

    Michael A. Smith, MD
    Chief Medical Consultant
    Diet Basics Web Site

    Dr. Smith is the Chief Medical Consultant for Diet Basics, a content rich weight loss website dedicated to all dieters. Please visit his site at...

    The Weight Loss Professional


    MORE RESOURCES:

    Examiner.com

    Randy Jackson's soulful weight loss journey
    Examiner.com - 9 hours ago
    His new book titled Body With Soul, is a testament to his long and hard journey of weight loss. He shares his struggles with fad diets and solutions that he ...


    Oh Baby: OB GYN offers up weight loss secret
    Sioux City Journal, IA - 13 hours ago
    Cheat -- even a little -- and weight loss wouldn't happen. Try to cook daily "and you're probably going to fail." The secret: Make your meals ahead of time, ...


    Examiner.com

    FDA alert: Weight loss supplements recalled
    Examiner.com - 6 hours ago
    Many of the weight loss products found online can not only be ineffective, but also dangerous. The FDA has issued an alert to consumers about two dietary ...


    The colour of weight loss
    New Straits Times, Malaysia - 2 hours ago
    It helps people maintain an exercise regime and achieve the targeted weight loss. “In US trials where people were put on 6mg of astaxanthin a day for 12 ...


    Three habits for holiday weight loss
    Daily Comet, LA - Dec 1, 2008
    Remember that calorie control is the most important component in weight loss, but if you want a license to cheat when you eat, you have to get off the sofa ...


    Weight loss revolution a lifestyle change
    The Saginaw News - MLive.com, MI - Dec 1, 2008
    By October 2005, Garth was back on TV announcing a 55-pound weight loss. She's since dropped almost 30 more for a total loss of 85 pounds from the 200 ...


    Weight-loss Boot Camp winners
    Mount Airy News, NC - 13 hours ago
    She said she couldn’t be happier about her life-changing weight loss. “It’s just additive. Once you start seeing the weight come off, you want to do more ...


    Emmerdale actress in weight-loss op
    The Press Association - 9 hours ago
    Many women up and down the land envy Emmerdale actress Lucy Pargeter's good looks and trim figure. But what percentage would swap places with the stunning ...


    RE Barber Ford employees shed pounds for weight-loss contest
    HollandSentinel.com, MI - 18 hours ago
    ... last minute to be a part of the contest, not really expecting to win, but because he had gone back and forth about the idea of weight loss for awhile. ...


    Natural News.com

    Ginseng Found Highly Effective for Weight Loss and Diabetes Control
    Natural News.com, AZ - 19 hours ago
    Now researchers are adding to the traditional list, documenting ginseng as highly effective in weight loss and diabetes control. ...

    Weight-Loss - Google News

    Weight Loss | Weight Loss Diet | Weight Loss Diet Pills | Weight Loss Blog | Weight Loss Articles | SiteMap
    Diet Pills: Diet Pills | Hoodia | Phentermine | Prescription Diet Pills
    Diet Plans: Diet Plan | Medifast | High Fiber Diet | High Protein Diet