Atkins Kills
As you may have guessed, I’m not a fan of Atkins. There’s a lot of misinformation about this diet that a recent study helped clarify… and frankly validates my own beliefs about this controversial diet. First let me first say you will lose weight on Atkins and your cholesterol levels will go down. Sounds good right? Well don’t be fooled.
Consider this. Cholesterol levels will go down as a result of any weight loss period. You could be drinking motor oil to lose weight and your cholesterol will go down so don’t think for a second Atkins is healthy.
A recent study presented at the American Heart Association, corrected for this cholesterol “weight loss” lowering effect. This study involved 18 people, each of whom were put on three different diets for month, and they were carefully monitored so they had no weight loss. The three diets were: Atkins with 50% of calories as fat, South Beach with 30% calories as fat and the Ornish diet with 10% fat.
Atkins was decidedly the worst diet. LDL or bad cholesterol went up by 7% on Atkins, while it decreased by 7% on the Ornish diet and by 10% on the South Beach diet. Not only that, but markers for inflammation went up by 30-45% on the Atkins diet whereas on the South Beach and Ornish diets they were either unchanged or decrease by 15-20%. Inflammation is a marker for accelerated aging and high levels of inflammation are associated with an increased risk of cancer, stroke, heart disease, dementia to name just a few chronic diseases that plague Western society.
Atkins has so many devotees because it’s easy to follow in our overly processed food world. It will result in weight loss because by cutting out refined carbs such as white flour products (cakes, cookies, breads etc) you’re essentially cutting calories. However by consuming a diet high in animal protein that’s low in fruits and veggies you’re putting your health at risk. The cholesterol lowering effect of Atkins is an illusion. It’s due to weight loss, not the diet. When you factor the weight loss out, Atkins causes your cholesterol and inflammatory markers to go up.
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Marge Clark { 11.07.07 at 1:31 pm }
I tried the Adkins diet quite a few years ago and happened to have a Dr. appointment due in a month. I had lost 9 lb. and was so thrilled, even though I KNEW the diet had to be unhealthy. When my blood work came back, my kidney function was BAD. Scared me straight.
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frewtloop { 11.16.07 at 12:39 am }
Can you clarify what inflammation is and how its caused? I’ve never heard of it before.
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J S { 11.27.07 at 8:00 am }
My brother did Atkind sporadically and he had a heart attack at 33 years!
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Mike { 01.06.08 at 12:48 pm }
I also know a couple of people who have tried Atkins as a method of weight loss; ok so the people did loose weight but they also found that the variety of food and specifically the types of food were just a little too much to maintain over the long term.
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erika { 02.20.08 at 3:26 pm }
I enjoy doing Atkins because it is easy to follow. However, I eat salad/veggies with lunch dinner. I do eat complex carbs & limit simple carbs drastically. I was eating eggs everyday & my cholesterol went up to 212. I cut down drastically on the eggs & will re-test in a month to check my levels. We’ll see….
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Jen { 08.01.08 at 1:30 am }
Haha, this article made me laugh. Atkins has helped thousands of people lose weight which in turn makes them healthier. Not only that, but it has been proven time and again that the people on Atkins are losing body fat and not water weight or muscle mass. This guy is just trying to sell his product.
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Herman { 08.01.08 at 1:32 am }
Marc, Marc, Marc. Read the book why don’t you. Non-starchy veggies and fruits are limited for only the first two weeks during a period known as induction. Many people take that first two week period as the entire diet and only do that, but that is their own fault, not the fault of Atkins. Cutting out the processed, refined carbs is extremely healthy. Eating plenty of non-starchy veggies is extremely healthy. And yes, Atkins highly recommends them as well as fruit and whole wheat grains, after induction. It is the propaganda, of which you are a part, that leads people to believe that eating fresh whole veggies and fruits is not allowed. I have done, and continue to do Atkins. Pre-Atkins cholesterol levels were 20 HDL and 210 LDL. Over four years into the program – on maintenance – cholesterol levels are 102 HDL and 98 LDL. What are YOUR cholesterol numbers? (And no I take none of the dangerous cholesterol lowering medications.) All of my other health markers are extremely good – to the point that when I purchased life insurance for myself a couple of years ago, after my physical and blood test results came back, I received a partial refund on my initial payment due to my great health results. According to my insurance agent, that simply does not happen unless your results are unbelievably clean, which he had personally never seen anyone get a refund before.
Only 18 people in the study huh? That’s a great representative sample. And how about providing all the details of the full study, with links, instead of just a synopsis as most synopsis don’t agree with true study results in most cases anyway. What exactly did each of these groups eat? If this is really such a breakthrough study then provide all the info instead of just your admittedly biased interpretation.
You have an agenda and something to sell, I get that. But don’t spread lies and propaganda to do it. And quit billing yourself implying you are any of these celebrity’s doc. Quit trying to dupe people into believing you are something you are not. You are simply trying to make a quick buck. I don’t begrudge you that, simply the way you are going about doing it.Like or Dislike:
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Dr Marc Twitter: @celebdietdoc { 08.01.08 at 3:45 am }
Hi Herman,
thanks for visiting my blog and commenting! I am glad you have had success with Atkins. However, Atkins is a high animal protein, high fat diet. Veggies and fruits are introduced in the OWL phase, but they are LIMITED. Also the fact that he recommends a fiber supplement to deal with constipation is frankly ridiculous. Eating more veggies will cure that problem!
And I would be extremely careful about claiming “health” based on a set of numbers. Almost half the heart attacks occur in persons with “normal cholesterol” levels. Fact is diets high in animal protein are associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease, breast and prostate cancer, and osteoporosis.
A book you might find interesting is the China Study, by Dr Campbell. If you’re interested in learning more about one of the most comprehensive population dietary studies ever done and it’s findings about animal protein, I would highly recommend you read it.
As far as a profit motive is concerned, I think the late Dr Atkins and the Atkins organization is a lot more guilty of this… just consider all the highly refined, highly processed, bars and shakes that are being peddled… http://atkins.com/Products/AvailableProducts.aspx?familyId=3&prdLn=2
do you think these foods are healthy? These calorie dense, nutrient poor, processed foods are responsible for the declining health of this country. In any event, I do enjoy discussing the pros and cons of different diets… and Atkins always makes for a lively debate!
Best Dr Marc
[quote comment="1333"]Marc, Marc, Marc. Read the book why don’t you. Non-starchy veggies and fruits are limited for only the first two weeks during a period known as induction. Many people take that first two week period as the entire diet and only do that, but that is their own fault, not the fault of Atkins. Cutting out the processed, refined carbs is extremely healthy. Eating plenty of non-starchy veggies is extremely healthy. And yes, Atkins highly recommends them as well as fruit and whole wheat grains, after induction. It is the propaganda, of which you are a part, that leads people to believe that eating fresh whole veggies and fruits is not allowed. I have done, and continue to do Atkins. Pre-Atkins cholesterol levels were 20 HDL and 210 LDL. Over four years into the program – on maintenance – cholesterol levels are 102 HDL and 98 LDL. What are YOUR cholesterol numbers? (And no I take none of the dangerous cholesterol lowering medications.) All of my other health markers are extremely good – to the point that when I purchased life insurance for myself a couple of years ago, after my physical and blood test results came back, I received a partial refund on my initial payment due to my great health results. According to my insurance agent, that simply does not happen unless your results are unbelievably clean, which he had personally never seen anyone get a refund before.
Only 18 people in the study huh? That’s a great representative sample. And how about providing all the details of the full study, with links, instead of just a synopsis as most synopsis don’t agree with true study results in most cases anyway. What exactly did each of these groups eat? If this is really such a breakthrough study then provide all the info instead of just your admittedly biased interpretation.
You have an agenda and something to sell, I get that. But don’t spread lies and propaganda to do it. And quit billing yourself implying you are any of these celebrity’s doc. Quit trying to dupe people into believing you are something you are not. You are simply trying to make a quick buck. I don’t begrudge you that, simply the way you are going about doing it.[/quote]Like or Dislike:
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Herman { 08.01.08 at 4:44 pm }
Marc,
Let’s take your points one by one.
First, veggies are not introduced in OWL. They are introduced from the beginning, in induction. The rule in induction is to limit carbs to 20 NET carbs per day. This is total carbs minus the fiber. That would mean you can have 10 cups of broccoli, or 10 cups of cucumber, or 50 cups of romaine lettuce, or 50 spears of asparagus… and the list goes on and on. Needless to say you can mix and match this list but tell me, how many people do you know on any diet that eat the equivalent of 50 spears of asparagus in a single day? Does that really sound limited to you? 20 net grams may sound limited until you actually look at the actual amounts of food that means in terms of non-starchy veggies. And this “limit” is only during the first two weeks. It goes up each week 5 grams of carbs from there during OWL. The reason many people get into trouble with this is they use their 20 grams on crap foods instead of the veggies as written by Dr. Atkins. (Follow the diet as it is written and it is healthy. Use your own variation of the diet then it is not healthy, but it is also not Atkins.) Dr. Atkins did not recommend fiber supplements. Those who have bastardized his work since his death may, I haven’t read the updates since his death, but let’s talk about what the doc himself actually advocated.
Next you claim the diet to be high in fat while the recommendations clearly point to lean proteins including vegetable proteins. The fats recommended are those fats we need aka EFA’s, like olive oil, canola oil, butter (which is much healthier than the trans-fats in margarine) and other healthy oils. Trans-fats are the true culprit of diseases we have blamed on saturated fats. I’m not saying only saturated fats should be eaten, they must be balanced by the mono-unsaturated fats but they are not the devil either. Things like pork and bacon are allowed but Dr. Atkins encouraged limiting the amounts. Once again, if someone decides to “do their own version” and eat all bacon then that is very high in fat and not healthy, but also not true Atkins. You cannot blame the doc if someone decides not to follow the diet as written. You blame the person not doing it as they are supposed to.
Next – thank you – an MD who actually admits that cholesterol is not an indicator of cardiovasular and heart health, as the Farmington Study actually shows. Yes, half the people who have heart attacks have high cholesterol and half have normal cholesterol. So this is obviously not an indicator of heart health. Be careful, doc, the pharmaceutical companies who push their cholesterol lowering drugs, and control MD education in medical schools now, are going to come after you with both barrels for admitting the truth but I am glad you at least know the truth. Many of your bretheren are completely ignorant to this fact. But you can’t have it both ways. You can’t condemn Atkins based on lab results in one breath (especially without showing what foods were actually consumed) and then in the next tell me that tests don’t mean that much for my health. It’s one or the other.
Animal protein as part of a healthy overall diet is not the devil you make it out to be. We will have to agree to disagree on that one. As with the Farmington Study, results are often skewed to benefit those who finance the study. And if a study does not say what the drug company wants it to, it is never released for the public to see. They simply redo it over and over again while changing the subjects they allow to participate until they find a group whose “results” will support their drug’s use.
We do agree that the “frankenfoods” are not healthy. I believe this is more the post-Dr. Atkins group than Dr. Atkins himself. Check the dates and you will find out that most of these products hit the market after the good doctor left us. I believe ALL processed foods are horrible for our health. If man tinkers with it in any way, then watch out. I eat foods the way God put them on the earth to be eaten. Start monkeying with it, then health problems begin. Of course South Beach has offered frankenfoods since day one so once again, you can’t have it both ways.
I recommend “Diet for a New America” to you, by John Robbins to understand the true reason why some animal meats are so unhealthy for us in this day and age.
Also, things like HRT cause many more instances of breast cancer and the like than the foods we eat. Medicine has known this for over 25 years, the studies are all over the place, yet they keep trying to push that poison on our female population. The hippocratic oath used to be “first do no harm. Now it seems to be, thanks to the drug companies, “first give them a drug. When that causes health problems, give them another drug.”
Perhaps trying to help clean up your own medical house would be the best place to start if you truly want to improve the overall health of our population.
Thank you for responding. I half expected my comments to be gone by this morning but am glad to see you are open for healthy debate. That definitely increase my respect for you and your motives.
But I would really appreciate it if you changed your extremely inflammatory headline that “Atkins Kills” until you can unequivically back it up.
Take care, Herman.
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Darleen { 08.01.08 at 11:25 pm }
sigh. Yet another doctor who doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Might I suggest you read the following: Gary Taubes’s GOOD CALORIES, BAD CALORIES; Paul Campos’s THE DIET MYTH; Mary Enig & Sally Fallon’s EAT FAT, LOSE FAT.
Stop relying on gossip and get the facts.
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Dr Marc Twitter: @celebdietdoc { 08.02.08 at 2:21 am }
Hi Herman,
Atkins page 308
for constipation: my preference is psyllium husks. start with 1 tablespoon in a large glass of water and increase or decrease the dose until desired result.
correct answer is “eat more veggies and fruits” and less animal protein which is causing the constipation in the first place.There was no HRT to alter the findings of the China Study. Animal protein and especially dairy has been linked with increased rates of cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis and diabetes. show me a study that shows a link between increased consumption of whole fruits and veggies and these diseases? answer: there isn’t one.
it should come as no surprise that dairy consumption (IGF1) is linked to hormone sensitive cancers such as prostate and breast.
it’s clear that Dr Atkins had a limited understanding of carbs… he considers the glycemic index “a beautiful tool” oh really? so based on his own glycemic index listings, you should be consuming corn muffins instead of carrots?
and if I ate an apple? wait that’s 15 “net carbs”, add a mango and I would have blown past my “carb rations” for the day?
you think that you’re going to gain weight on unprocessed mangos and apples? not going to happen. Which brings me to the biggest problem with Atkins. He considered a carb a carb. He didn’t make a distinction between processed carbs and unprocessed carbs. there’s a big difference. and that’s the problem with a lot of the low carb studies. they do not control for processed and unprocessed carbs, so the information you get is very distorted. don’t believe the hype these gurus are spoon feeding you- read the journal articles yourself.
Atkins also was a proponent of a popular franken food: Splenda (time will tell what the health implications will be, but historically the track record is not good for these manufactured goods)
Before his death he was also selling over 100 million dollars of processed, highly refined “low carb” , nutrient deficient products out of his upstate NY mail order fulfillment center including the Endulge Bar, Advantage Bar and his own Atkins Bake Mix. I can tell you he what wasn’t selling: whole unprocessed veggies and fruits out of his fulfillment center.
in any event this is a healthy dialogue (although I seem to have touched a nerve among some low-carbers). this article will stand as is, as well as the comments … yes you have your opinion but ultimately it’s for the readers of this blog to decide what is best for them.
Best
Dr Marc
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Tom { 03.11.10 at 7:24 am }
“… he considered a carb a carb …”
Did you read anything other than his first book, from the 1970’s? He glossed over it in the first book, but his subsequent discussion about glycemic index in his later work shows that as his theory developed he certainly did not consider all carbs to be the same. I’m sure he wasn’t the only researcher to learn new things since the 70’s.This recent AHA study you reference seems odd. “This study involved 18 people, each of whom were put on three different diets for month, and they were carefully monitored so they had no weight loss.” No weight loss? Were they actually following any of the regimens?
And is one month on each diet a long enough period to tell anything? On Atkins they could only be 2 weeks beyond the induction phase when they stopped. Like sitting in a car in a showroom and predicting how reliable it will be over the next five years. Utter nonsense.
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Marge { 08.02.08 at 7:47 pm }
Have really enjoyed the debate. Guess this will be a subject that will never be settled. I just know the fruit and veggies, no flour, no meat or dairy, Omega 3 suppliments, small amounts of olive oil, walnuts, almonds, and oats have changed my life…. all for the better. Angina gone, diabetes under good control, B/P 110/60. No insulin, no glucatrol necessary. Feel wonderful and am told I look younger. I will never go back to old ways. Easy to keep weight off and never feel deprived. How can this be wrong? Would never even think of doing Atkins! Never have heartburn or reflux (now). Eating more volumn of foods and lost weight. I do need the two snacks of fruit or salads to keep my tummy rumbling at bay. No intestional problems, (either upper or lower)! I just felt I had to comment as I am 71 years old, have tried all the “diets”. This is not a diet, this is a better quality of life. Thanks for listening. Marge
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Karol { 11.04.08 at 5:00 pm }
We are evolved to thrive on a diet of meat and meat products, supported by small portions of vegetables and fruits. Grains in every sense are bad and our bodies perceive them as toxic. In fact, the inability to digest grains is the most common denominator for IBS.
Dr. Weston Price travelled to Africa and studies various tribes, noting their diets and their health. Here is a sample of his findings…
“Their diets consisted largely of milk, blood and meat, supplemented in some cases with fish and with small amounts of grains, fruits and vegetables. Rich in animal fats, these diets provided large amounts of the fat-soluble vitamins Price discovered to be so necessary for proper development of the physical body and freedom from disease. The Neurs especially valued the livers of animals, considered so sacred “that it may not be touched by human hands. . . It is eaten both raw and cooked.” [...] These tribes were noted for their fine physiques and great height—in some groups the women averaged over 6 feet tall, and many men reached almost seven feet. Examinations of their teeth revealed very few caries, usually less than 0.5%. Nowhere in his travels had Price yet found groups that had no cavities at all, yet among the cattle-herding tribes of Africa, Dr. Price found six tribes that were completely free of dental decay. Furthermore, all members of these tribes exhibited straight, uncrowded teeth.”Read more at: http://www.westonaprice.org/traditional_diets/out_of_africa.html
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Guest { 12.10.08 at 6:10 pm }
@Dr Marc -
Hey doc,
I’m staying out of this debate between you and Herman, but I have a comment for you. (I happened upon your site while looking for something else.)For some people’s bodies, “a carb *is* a carb”. I am thoroughly convinced that no one diet works for everybody. I guess you are mostly concerned with weight loss, but for someone like me – a nondiabetic with blood sugar issues and true diabetes-like symptoms – mangoes and apples are killers! Whole wheat this and that may make some marginal difference to my body over white – and surely I’m not chowing down on donuts and white bread – but the fact is my body can’t handle any significant change in blood glucose levels.
So, while I’m not on Dr. Atkins’ diet, I do think that it is irresponsible of you as a doctor to so harshly criticize a diet. It may work for some bodies. A high fat, low carbohydrate diet, like I am on, has been prescribed for epileptics for a while now – different diets for different bodies.
That’s all I wanted to say! Thank you for reading.
Guest
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Guest { 12.10.08 at 6:11 pm }
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Fiona { 01.08.09 at 7:38 pm }
I lost 30 lbs doing Atkins 2 years ago, I still don’t eat and don’t crave for sugar nor starches. I eat great salads, nuts, and yes lots of protein…. my cholesterol is better than ever.
Doctor, only 14 days in Atkins are restrictive, the rest is fine and let’s face it, the best celebrity bodies belong to people in low carb diets.
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Fiona { 01.08.09 at 7:50 pm }
“Atkins page 308
for constipation: my preference is psyllium husks. start with 1 tablespoon in a large glass of water and increase or decrease the dose until desired result.
correct answer isLike or Dislike:
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John { 01.09.09 at 3:07 pm }
For the clown that wrote this article, he is seriously missing the point of that a high potency supplement is absolutley necessary while entertaining a diet as such. We all know that in the beginning stages of the diet you are not receiving the proper amount of nutrients you should be getting from produce. Thus the afformentioned is required.
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Dr Marc Twitter: @celebdietdoc { 01.09.09 at 7:58 pm }
Lots of comments… and here are some of my responses.
A carb is not a carb, that is the “whole” point. Unprocessed apples and mangos will NOT appreciable raise your blood sugar as bread will (whole wheat included).
Any diet that advocates a fiber supplement should be avoided.. Atkins included. That alone should be telling you something. Most constipation is due to a poor diet (atkins included) and not enough whole unprocessed foods.
Humans were NOT meant to consume mostly meat. In fact the opposite is true. From an evolutionary standpoint one only needs to look at our dentition (the canines are not as prominent, the molars are which means we were designed to chew not rip and tear)
Lastly, a diet the advocates a supplement is another warning sign. (Atkins). Since the majority of antioxidants are from plant sources you’ll be missing this with an Atkins style diet. Remember that majority of studies show more harm than benefit with vitamin supplements. Let me say that again. You are doing more harm than good with expensive vitamin supplements. There is no substitute to eating whole fruits and veggies. None.
So if you consume a diet high in processed foods as most Americans you will not benefit from supplements and that includes Big Macs:)
btw.. There are some supplements I do recommend… Omega 3 and Vit D. Otherwise you should be getting most of your nutrition from whole foods.
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Guest, again { 01.30.09 at 1:17 am }
(I commented on 12.10.08.) I have nothing much to say except that I apparently never had blood sugar issues. That was merely a “diagnosis” I was given regarding certain symptoms. That’s good to know! I can now stop trying to control a problem I never had and get on to figuring out the real cause of the problems.
I find that great-tasting food – and actual food, I mean- and not too much of it, works for me.
God bless you, Dr. Marc.
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Tracey { 02.04.09 at 2:09 am }
Many people ‘parrot’ the rehearsed “Ooh that’s so bad for you”, when I tell them I lost 6 kilos (13.2 lbs) in 5 days on Atkins, but if you saw what I typically ate my whole life before I started on the diet, you’d say it was a very good move. There are negatives on every diet, just get on with it and lose the damn weight and stop whinging until the perfect diet is found. Just losing the weight will get your mind and body into feeling good about itself even if it’s just to kickstart a healthier life. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been about my weight. I haven’t even exercised on this diet either, but I’m enthusiastic about do so to keep the new ‘trim-me’. I’m going into the 2nd week of the diet now and I’m so pleased. That’s all that really matters. We’ve put so much other rubbish in our mouths for so long anyway. Thanks to Atkins, it’s changed my life, I have more energy and feel trim, healthy and sexy again.
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Paul Valencourt { 05.21.09 at 6:25 pm }
Dr. Marc, I wouldn’t put so much stock into an 18-person study. Especially given that there are much larger studies (the AtoZ Weight Loss study, for instance) that have had contrary results.
The AtoZ weight loss study, (overseen by Dr. Christopher Gardner, if you need the search terms) wasn’t done in a metabolic ward; it actually reflects how people eat on the Atkins diet. Every group strayed from total compliance to their diet, as they do in real life. I think this is a distinction worth noting: there’s a big difference between being fed a diet to the letter, and the way people follow the books in real life. It requires larger studies and more randomization to get meaningful results, but it’s the only way you get results that reflect the way people eat the diet. And it is the diet you’re trying to get data on, aren’t you?
I’d also speculate that the Atkins group was encouraged to overeat by a fair bit, given how Atkins typically results in substantial weight loss. This might explain the inflammation; see this article, for instance: http://www.healthnews.com/nutrition-diet/weight-loss/overeating-triggers-master-switch-inflammation-brain-1908.html
Then there’s the matter of dairy, which is the most problematic part of the Atkins diet, in my opinion. In addition to the inflammation for which it is at least partly the culprit, it may also be responsible for the constipation. A little difficult to tell for the former without another control.
It’s pretty brash, Dr. Marc, to suggest that a popular diet “kills” on the basis on a 18-person study with such a questionable methodology. Personally, the only really large problem I see with the Atkins diet is the inclusion and amount of dairy recommended; why aren’t you attacking specifically that?
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[...] A recent study presented at the American Heart Association, corrected for this cholesterol “weight loss” lowering effect. This study involved 18 people, each of whom were put on three different diets for month, and they were carefully monitored so they had no weight loss. The three diets were: Atkins with 50% of calories as fat, South Beach with 30% calories as fat and the Ornish diet with 10% fat. (more…) [...]
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