It Really Has Been a Big Fat Lie...

Sunday, July 7, 2002, was one of the most gratifying days of my life—and one that validated the controlled carbohydrate nutritional approach to weight management and good health. On that day the New York Times Magazine cover story titled What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?, by Gary Taubes, told millions of readers that the low-fat hypothesis has failed the test of time. After hundreds of millions of dollars and 20 years of research, studies on low-fat programs have not proved to promote good health and extend life. This watershed article in a mainstream consumer publication accurately describes the scientific basis and effects of a controlled carbohydrate lifestyle, mirroring my conclusions from 40 years of clinical experience: The low-fat belief system causes individuals to over-consume high carbohydrate foods, which in turn has contributed to the current epidemics of both obesity and diabetes.
Taubes, a freelance investigative science writer who authored “The Soft Science of Dietary Fat,” which was published in the respected journal Science (March 30, 2001, Volume 291, pages 2536-2545; www.sciencemag.org) is one of the growing number of reporters who actually review all the relevant research and report the facts without bias. He interviewed many of the best researchers in the field of medical nutrition, including respected scientists at Harvard, Stanford, the University of Pennsylvania, Tufts, the University of Connecticut and other institutions. All agreed that the controlled carb approach to weight control and healthy living has been neglected and the subject should be studied further. This is something that I have advocated for the last 20 years. In fact, these scientists report that the preliminary research on controlled carb nutritional programs demonstrates both an improvement in health risk factors and greater weight loss than on low-fat regimens. What remains to be seen is whether these observations hold up in long-term trials. I have absolutely no doubt that what I have seen in my 40 years of clinical practice will hold true during long-term trials—the Atkins Nutritional Approach will become the treatment of choice for weight management, good health and disease prevention.
One can only speculate on the reasons why the medical profession has turned a blind eye to the uncannily parallel timing of our being told to cut fat consumption and eat large amounts of starchy foods and the growth of obesity—and diabetes—in this country and around the world. It is even more curious when you consider the medical mantra: “We believe in evidence-based medicine.” The complex web of forces seems to boil down to a single answer: economics. There is far more profit to be made by selling packaged foods made with cheap ingredients such as sugar and flour than by selling meat, fish, eggs and fresh vegetables.
As Taubes points out, the last 20 years have shown a marked decrease in the average percentage of calories from fat in our diets, and along with it, an increase in grain consumption of nearly 60 pounds annually per person! Meanwhile, yearly consumption of sugar and sweeteners such as high-fructose corn syrup has jumped by 30 pounds per person yearly. Considering that these trends represent a major shift in the diet that Americans had consumed for generations, isn't it also curious that no major scientific studies that examine the health impact of sugar and refined flour consumption have been funded during this time? My answer is the same: economics. Neither the government nor the food industry was interested in discovering that the policy they respectively initiated and benefited from was actually exacerbating the obesity epidemic and the risk of disease.
This is but one example of our adopting medical policies on the basis of research that fits the agenda of big business. This past week, another news-breaking story shines a light into a similar agenda of the pharmaceutical industry. It turns out that a major study shows that an oral hormone treatment for menopausal women that combines synthetic estrogens and progesterone may actually increase the likelihood of heart disease, cancer and other illnesses. This drug is one of the most frequently prescribed pharmaceuticals on the market and has earned its manufacturer billions of dollars. Two other examples of conventional medical assumptions that have recently been questioned are the use of mammograms to detect breast cancer and knee replacement as a solution to arthritis.
The time is ripe for people to look more critically at the health teachings that have been propagated by mainstream medicine and therefore taken for granted. You can contribute to a groundswell of people demanding that drug companies, health organizations and the government cease following their own agendas and more carefully scrutinize nutritional and medical approaches and pharmaceutical products before making them standard treatment.
In the 10 days since The New York Times Magazine article appeared we have seen a definite shift in the media to a more open-minded attitude toward the controlled carbohydrate nutritional approach. The July 16 edition of NBC’s “Dateline” was one of the best examples. For a transcript, go to http://msnbc.com/news/780727.asp. Click on the words "Play Video" underneath the photo and enjoy an entertaining eight-minute rebroadcast.
The New York Times article may have gotten got the ball rolling but to help keep the momentum strong, there are a few simple but truly important things you should do as soon as possible. To make a difference, please do the following:
· Send the New York Times Magazine article by Gary Taubes (and the link to the“Dateline” video clip) to your family, your friends, the people you know who have told you doing Atkins was wrong and—most importantly—to your doctor. We can only hope that they read it and open their minds to the understanding that the Atkins Nutritional Approach is all about controlling your carbohydrate intake to ensure you are laying the foundation for a healthy lifetime.
· Lobby your senators and congressman by e-mailing and writing to ask them to abolish the misguided Food Guide Pyramid—it is still being taught today to young children at elementary schools across our country—and replace it with nutritional recommendations that limit the intake of sugar, other refined carbohydrates and trans fats. Demand of these same elected representatives that more dollars be allocated by the government for scientific research on the effect of controlling carbohydrates on obesity and diabetes.
· Contact your local, state and national representatives and let them know that you are deeply troubled with the food labeling guidelines in our country. Tell them that we would all be better informed—and could all make smarter health choices—if food labels identified the carbohydrates that impact blood sugar and contribute to obesity and diabetes and those that do not.
· Tell everyone—your elected officials, the news media and us (via our Web site) your experience with specific health markers, including a reduction in cholesterol and triglyceride levels and reducing dependence on medications such as insulin as a result of doing Atkins. Such testimonials can work in concert with the emerging research on the benefits of controlling carbs.

The Atkins revolution is here! Now let’s join forces to ensure that the truth be heard.