How refreshing to see a pro-Atkins article for once in the British media


Atkins dangers 'exaggerated'
by BEEZY MARSH, Daily Mail

limmers should not be stopped from trying the Atkins Diet, an obesity expert has said.

The health dangers of the controversial low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet had been exaggerated, Dr Ian Campbell claimed.

Atkins is at the centre of fears over a possible link to diabetes and concerns that it may speed kidney damage because of the large amount of protein consumed.

But Dr Campbell, chairman of the National Obesity Forum - an alliance of experts on weight and health, said he would not object to his patients using the diet.

The benefits of weight loss, which are seen almost immediately on the plan, could be used to motivate the obese.

"I think the danger of Atkins has been over- exaggerated," Dr Campbell added. He would not advise someone to try the diet, but if they were already on it or had decided to try it, he said he would support them.

He went on: "They can use Atkins to help them lose weight in the short-term. Evidence suggests short-term weight loss on Atkins is OK. But I have concerns about possible long-term effects and the evidence suggests the diet is not the right approach long-term."

With one in five UK adults obese, doctors had to be prepared to accept that some people may wish to follow diets such as the Atkins, he added.

Colette Heimowitz, director of education and research at the company Atkins Health and Medical Information Services, welcomed Dr Campbell's comments, saying: "Nutritionists in the UK are are so stuck in their thinking that fat is bad and carbohydrates are good.

"They are reacting against Atkins on the basis of what they fear is going to happen rather than what is actually happening." Numerous studies had shown the Atkins plan was beneficial to health and was more effective than low-carbohydrate diets at promoting weight loss, Miss Heimowitz added.

An estimated three million Britons are thought to be on the diet, which limits intake of foods such as pasta, potatoes and rice, in favour of meat, fish, eggs and cheese.

Its popularity soared after it emerged that stars such as Jennifer Aniston and Geri Halliwell had used it to stay slim.

Experts from the British Nutrition Foundation have warned that diets such as Atkins could lead to vitamin deficiencies. Followers may also suffer constipation, increasing the risk of diverticulitis and bowel cancer.

http://www.femail.co.uk/pages/stand...&in_page_id=172

An article in a British publication quoting a doctor with something like proper scientific skepticism and objectivity? Amazing! Are you sure this is really a British publication?



OK, it's the real thing. Evidently, you can't publish an article about Atkins in a British newspaper without mentioning that Jennifer Aniston and Geri Halliwell have used it to lose weight. Must be one of those obscure Acts of Parliament or something.

"Atkins is at the centre of fears over a possible link to diabetes and concerns that it may speed kidney damage because of the large amount of protein consumed. "

Well, there is a definite link to diabetes, prevention that is. If you eat low carb, you won't get diabetes, unless you've already ruined your pancreas through years of high carb eating.

You know, if other scientific 'experts' are as smart as the nutrition folks, I would guess that the warnings about global warming mean the next ice age is fast approaching.

Diabetes is the number one cause of kidney failure. Period. Not one documented case of kidney failure has ever been caused by low carbing. Not one! Boy, these guys are confused...

Personally I can tell you that although I use psyllum daily, I have IBS and Diverticulitis and have only had one attack since starting this WOE (I was on holiday and depending on restaurant food). I use to have daily pain and discomfort. I credit this WOE as helping me.

Wow, Demi! You are quite the news ferret! Thanks for keeping us all up to date with latest articles about Atkins!

The whole Diabetes link is garbage...Here's their basic argument:

A Diet High in Fat Causes Obesity;
The Atkins Diet is High in Fat
...Therefore...
The Atkins Diet Causes Obesity

Obesity Causes Diabetes;
The Atkins Diet Causes Obesity (See Previous);
...Therefore...
The Atkins Diet Causes Diabetes

Both arguments are perfectly valid, but neither is sound. Validity only indicates that the conclusion draws necessarily from the premises. For an argument to be sound, the premises have to be true...and the only premise that's true in either Argument is that the Atkins Diet is High in Fat.

It's always the same crap...valid arguments that are unsound:

Atkins is Low in Carbs;
Fiber is a Carb;
...Therefore...
Atkins is Low in Fiber

Diets Low in Fiber Cause Constipation and Bowel Cancer;
Atkins is Low in Fiber;
...Therefore...
Atkins Causes Constipation and Bowel Cancer

"But I have concerns about possible long-term effects and the evidence suggests the diet is not the right approach long-term"
Where is this evidence?

... in all fairness, even Dr. Atkins did not recommend anyone with a preexisting kidney problem to be on this diet. There are some studies that indicate that the low carb approach accelerates problems for people who already have kidney disease... the good news is that these same studies showed that the low carb approach was perfectly safe for people with normal kidney function.

I do bloodwork every 3 months, just to be sure that everything is going right. Y'know no matter who's selling it and how wonderful it sounds, a dose of healthy skepticism doesn't hurt. Naturally, so far everything has checked out normally for me.

I do a full lipid panel and a metabolic panel testing liver and kidney functions as well as testing for potassium and calcium.

It is true to my knowledge that there is very little research on doing a severely low carb diet (such as Induction) for long term, but the diet is not designed to be that way for long term.

One of the bad habits that we low-carbers can have (and I do) is a fondness for smoked meats. The concern with colon cancer is valid if our diet has too many processed meats. My husband and I love summer sausage and bacon, slim jims, hard salami, pepperoni--all tasty, all low carb, but all with nitrates/nitrites, unless you go for the expensive stuff--I think that we're going to need to switch to the Natural food stores for non-nitrate/nitrite smoked meats.

I have found that Jimmy Dean fresh pork sausage is pretty darn natural with no nitrates or nitrites. You can find fresh chorizo and bratwurst also without the additives. Watch for MSG, though.

The other known health issue that can be aggravated by Atkins is gout. I believe it can be aggravated by organ meats, high fat, and by not enough vegetables. Sometimes it's easy to skimp on the veggies when you have satiated yourself with nice rich meats and cheeses, but it's important to balance the diet out with the low-carb veggies.

I confess that I eat more vegetables now than I did before, and that makes me very happy. The big bags of iceberg salad mix in the refrigerator don't rot any more!

I also confess that I buy the prepackaged salad mix that has the carrots and cabbage mixed in, but I think that there is such a small amount of carrot that it hasn't really made a difference in weight loss... I've used this stuff since I first started on Atkins, usually 2 cups per sitting, and never stalled due to it.

One more health concern, as it has been pointed out in other articles, is that there is a ton of low-carb junk food on the market that is loaded with the trans-fats that everyone agrees is not good for you... Just because it is in a natural food store or advertised as low-carb, doesn't necessarily mean it is good whole food. It's easy enough to indulge in the same types of food--chocolate, low-carb bars and baked goods, etc.--that have other health concerns associated with them, plus the potential for addiction, stalling out, and leaning back towards bad things...

At this point in my diet, I am struggling with getting back to the whole foods because I have sampled some really great tasting low-carb "junk." Not all of it is junk, but I know that some of it is--particularly the chocolate.

!~#$% you, Russell Stover!!

The jury's still out on the pork rinds (they are really tasty with 2 tbsp l/c salsa, 2 tbsp sour cream, 2 tbsp guacamole)... not sure what sort of potential health threats they have, being cooked at such a high temp, but I will say that I looked at the acrylamide listing that the FDA put out and the pork rinds they had listed had very little in comparison to the other foods tested.

So that's my 2 cents on the matter.

I only eat smoked meats occassionally. I avoid them mostly because of the Nitrites and Sodium. Yes, I watch my Sodium also (shoot for 1500-2500mg/day.) As for Pork Rinds, the only problem with them is Sodium [from the Salt.] But, I get the brand with the lowest Sodium content [Winn-Dixie's Own Brand is the lowest I've found] and try not to eat more than a few servings in a day. I also don't eat them every day. Isn't acrylimide from cooking starches at hi-temps ??? Pork Rinds [the ones without added crap] are carb-free.

As for vegetables, I put my Steak on a bed of Romaine Lettuce Leaves...I also eat plenty of Cucumber, Spinach [which is very tasty soaked in Beef Juice,] Broccoli Stalks, and Cabbage. I also eat the Carrots when they're mixed. I don't worry too much about the Carrots as it takes alot of them to spike your blood sugar.

I avoid Trans-Fat as completely as possible. Since I eat out sometimes, I wonder if I may be getting some unknowingly. But, I won't worry about it too much...since I avoid fried foods [when eating out] and those most likely to contain TFAs.

For those of you who are interested in Acrylamide, here's a couple of interesting links from the FDA:

http://www.mindfully.org/Food/Acryl...s-FDA4dec02.htm

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/acrydat2.html

You'll find some traditionally low-carb foods like smoked almonds on there and a lot of "natural" foods that are high in acrylamide when processed.

Seems like particularly the processing of grains/nuts (as well as potatoes) adds a considerable amount of acrylamide.

Add to acrylamide trans fats and other toxic stuff, and it's amazing that all of us don't have chronic health issues and suffer from some sort of cancer.

It really is rather disturbing to note the amount of dangerous stuff stocked on our grocery shelves.