Widow of Atkins diet author may sue NYC

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-brea...13954-6821r.htm

NEW YORK, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- The widow of Dr. Robert Atkins may sue New York City over the unauthorized release of her late husband's confidential medical records.

Veronica Atkins, whose husband gained fame with his Atkins diet, said the medical examiner's report that her husband had heart disease and a history of heart attacks was "absurd," the New York Post reported Wednesday.

The 6-foot Atkins weighed 258 pounds when he died last year of complications of a head injury incurred in a fall.

Though no autopsy was performed, the city's medical examiner conducted an "external" exam of Atkins' body before writing comments in his report, including statements about Atkins weight and heart.

That report was then given to the Wall Street Journal by a vegetarian group long opposed to the Atkins diet.

The group, Physicians for Responsible Medicine, promotes a vegetarian diet and is linked to the animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, according to Atkins supporters.

Veronica Atkins, who may sue the city over the report's release, said her husband suffered from a heart condition called cardiomyopathy that "significantly weakened his heart," that caused his body to retain fluids.