ATKINS DIET WOMEN IN NEW CANCER RISK Sep 15 2003

By Lesley Mair

WOMEN who use the controversial Atkins diet are much more likely to develop cancer of the womb, a study has found.

Overweight slimmers who follow the high-fat, low-carbohydrate plan raise their chance of contracting the disease by six times, scientists claim.

Experts looked at the eating habits of 500 women with cancer of the lining of the uterus and compared them with women free of the disease.

Those who ate a large amount of fruit and veg cut the risk of developing the cancer by a third.

And for post-menopausal women, who have a lower level of oestrogen, the effects were even stronger.

The results suggest a low-fat diet that promotes eating nutrient-rich fruit and vegetables is healthier.

Some three million Britons follow the Atkins diet and 10 per cent of women have tried it. Many have praised the results and celebrity devotees have included Jennifer Aniston, Geri Halliwell and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

But the research by the Northern California Cancer Centre and the University of California in San Francisco prompted some doctors to warn against using it long term.

Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George's Hospital, London, said: "It all points back to the good old Mediterranean diet,incorporating at least five fruits and vegetables a day.

"As a low dietary fat and a high fruit and veg intake seem protective, it proves anti-Atkins method again."

The researchers believe phytoestrogens - found in fruit and veg - are vital to combating the effects of oestrogen, which can lead to womb cancer. Ms Collins said obese women were more at risk using Atkins probably because the phytoestrogens they ate did not reach therapeutic levels.

The Atkins regime is also said to cause a higher risk of heart disease, kidney and liver damage, osteoporosis, brittle bones and bowel cancer.

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