The Atkins’ Diet

The most popular low-carbohydrate diet is the one suggested by the late Robert C. Atkins, M.D., of New York City. Atkins  assures that his low-carbohydrate diet not only helps dieters lose weight, but also improves heart health and memory function, as well as other wellness benefits. His dieting program is based on the theory that overweight people eat too many carbohydrates. He claims that our bodies use both fat and carbohydrates for energy, but carbs are burned first, and, therefore, by drastically decreasing carbs and eating more protein and fat, our bodies naturally lose weight by burning stored body fat more efficiently.

However, the popularity of such a diet may appear to be dangerous due to a number of factors. It is obvious that more research is needed on the safety and effectiveness of Atkins’ low-carbohydrate diet.

Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution (1972) advocates the diet program consisting of four steps: a 2-week “induction” period, during which the aim is to decrease carbohydrate intake to under 20 grams per day, and three periods during which carbohydrate intake is gradually raised but kept below what Atkins calls “your critical carbohydrate level” for losing or maintaining weight. The  person on a diet is allowed  to eat unrestricted amounts of noncarbohydrate foods when hungry, but ketosis tends to suppress appetite. The diet requires checking one’s urine for ketone bodies to make sure that the desired level of ketosis is reached. Additionaly, Atkins  recommended great amounts of nutritional supplements.

Although there can be no doubts that low-carbohydrate diets produce weight loss, no study has demonstrated that such diets are safe or effective for long-term use. Atkins defended his diet for more than 30 years and declared that more than 60,000 patients treated at his center had used his diet as their primary protocol. Unfortunately, Atkins didn’t publish any study in which dieters who used his program were supervised over a period of several years. Food companies, stimulated by the great popularity of low-carbohydrate diets, market low-carbohydrate foods for people who want to “watch their carbs.” Most of the foods marketed by these companies are much higher in fat than the foods they are designed to replace. I am convinced that  the advertising of “low-carb” is  encouraging both dieters and nondieters to eat high-fat foods, which is exactly the opposite of what medical and nutrition experts have been urging for many years. I admit that following a low-carbohydrate diet under medical supervision may be useful for some people, but a population-wide increase in fat consumption is a program for catastrophie.