Atkins answers critics of low-carb diets

New York, NY, Jun. 22 (UPI) -- New York's Atkins Nutritionals Inc., under assault from a coalition of groups opposed to low-carb diets, blasted critics Tuesday as being financially driven.

Atkins' comments followed by just a few hours a public campaign Tuesday by the Partnership for Essential Nutrition to warn against low-carbohydrate diets as both ineffective and, sometimes, harmful.

"It is discouraging to see the media continue to report on information which disregards the most recent research available to them on controlled-carbohydrate nutritional approaches like Atkins," said Dr. Stuart Trager, medical director for Atkins Nutritionals.

"Companies like Weight Watchers and big food companies are funding this coalition while at the same time they are launching their own low-carb products."

A coalition spokeswoman confirmed Weight Watchers provided a "small initial grant to help organize the partnership."

Trager, meanwhile, cited published studies verifying the safety and efficacy of low-carb diets, including a recent article by Dr. Sylvan Weinberg in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that called for health care providers to recognize the validity of low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets like Atkins in the fight against heart disease.

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-brea...24853-3210r.htm