Atkins' critics surprised by recent study

By Debra Melani, Rocky Mountain News

September 9, 2003

link to article

When Dr. Robert Atkins made his low-carbohydrate ideas known in the 1970s, his peers in the medical profession pounced. His diet of fat-laden foods, such as bacon and cheese, was a recipe for skyrocketing cholesterol levels and heart disease, they said.

But the cardiologist, who died last spring, stood firm. Today, his concept, which has attracted millions of followers, is under major scrutiny for the first time.

The initial findings of a study that included the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center surprised many of Atkins' staunch critics.

During the one-year pilot study, bad cholesterol levels in a group of Atkins dieters remained unchanged, good cholesterol went up and dangerous triglyceride levels dropped.

Still, most of her colleagues aren't ready to endorse low-carb diets, said Bonnie Jortberg, a registered dietitian with CU. Doctors expect a five-year study that's under way to provide a better picture and answer important questions, such as how much of the rapid weight loss that attracts so many low-carb dieters is water loss.

It's known that water loss occurs when carbohydrates are restricted; the answer is important because water-weight loss can be gained back rapidly, Jortberg said.

Sigh -- if they would read DANDR and the studies in there, or have their librarians do a MEDLINE search, they would see that the water loss issue has been addressed, wouldn't they. Instead, they want another study, which will show what they want it to show, or can be "spun" to do so. And, you know, they're never going to apologize, are they? Say "we were so wrong, we wonder why anybody would listen to us now." Like the moron psychiatrists in the 50's who blamed autism on the mothers, "cold, uncaring" "refrigerator moms" the heartache they piled on those innocent women, and has anybody in the profession stepped up to the plate and admitted that they were half-cocked and caused huge hurt? The answer, as far as I can tell, is "no" Oh well.

Would this dietician care to explain how it is that I lost almost 90 pounds of "water." IMHO, even if that were true...90-100 pounds of excess water weight is not good for you.

I wrote to the article's author, cautioning her about not taking as automatically true everything they are told by dieticians (and gave her a clue about the water weight issue)... she promptly replied to me, and seemed to appreciate my point (although admittedly after the article was published, unfortunately). Her response seemed a friendly and open tone (you'll notice in her article, she probably did a better job than most article writers in not automatically branding Atkins dieters as just meat'n cheese eaters, and didnt' write in a sarcastic tone we see of too many newspaper articles, at least) and asked for info on longer-term studies. I gave her the link for this forum as well as two others (Laura Richard's site, etc.) which will hopefully keep her from allowing misinformed dieticians from getting away with their hijinx in any of her future articles. Although I know quite well about the six month studies, I partially recall there are supposedly some one-year studies underway... with one possibly concluded but under peer-review stage. I'm not aware of any published full one year studies where most of the dieters remained on Atkins a full year yet and tracked those results.