Atkins Pros and Cons

The Atkins diet is one of the most controversial diets in the history of dieting.  The idea behind the diet is to heat high amounts of proteins and fats and very little in the way of carbohydrates.  The proponents of the Atkins diet state that, in dieting this way, the dieter burns off fat instead of the carbohydrates they should have eaten.  Many similar diets to this exist today but, in the 1970s, when the diet first came out, no one knew the risks and benefits to such a diet and it was all the rage for a number of years.

The pros of the Atkins diet include that the diet does appear to help people lose weight.  In one study, dieters lost up to 14 pounds in just a few months.  When researchers looked at the “good” or HDL-cholesterol, the number actually increased on average.  Triglycerides, on the other hand, went down modestly.  In spite of the studies, there have been no long term studies of the diet on a person’s overall health.

The American Heart Association is not a supporter of the Atkins diet.  It recommends that we limit our dietary fat intake to less than thirty percent of our total calories.  The Atkins diet is actually very high in fat and low in fiber and carbohydrates.  The American Cancer Society does not support a diet low in fiber and high in meats—exactly the type of food eaten in the Atkins diet. 

The Atkins diet also puts an individual at risk for chronic kidney disease.  The kidneys must work extra hard to rid the body of all of the extra protein.  In addition, a high protein diet can precipitate gout and gouty arthritis in certain people.  Remember the excess of meat eaten by King Henry VIII?  He suffered from gout over a great portion of his life.

Diets like the Atkins diet may work in the short term but no study of this kind of diet has lasted longer than twelve weeks.  This means that if you diet for a period of time and lose, say, twenty pounds, there is every evidence to believe that you’ll gain the weight right back after resuming a normal kind of diet.

The Atkins diet also promotes the excretion of bodily Calcium from the kidneys.  This means less Calcium goes to strengthen the bones and a person who went on the diet for a long time may suffer from osteoporosis or, worse yet, a hip or other fracture. 

The jury is still definitely out for the Atkins diet.  There have been studies of shorter duration that show people can lose weight safely on it; however, there is a lot of empiric evidence to suggest that the diet can be dangerous for the heart, bones, colon, kidneys and liver.  Because no long term studies have been done, these issues remain empiric with no one definitely able to say for sure whether or not the Atkins diet is safe or not. 

If thinking of the Atkins diet, have a visit with your doctor to see what your uric acid levels are (a test for gout) and what your lipid levels are.  Your doctor may be able to help you decide on a diet that is best for you and will help you determine if the Atkins diet is really the best diet for you.