A Close Look at Atkins: New Diet Controversy

The Atkins new diet recommendations were controversial from the beginning of their inception.  Dr. Atkins began the diet craze when he published his book in 1972 that was called “Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution”.  His revolutionary diet was considered a wonderful sensation by dieters who now could eat more of their favorite foods than they could on a regular diet. They no longer had to eat regular “diet foods”. The diet was also sensational among other doctors and nutritionists who thought the diet was dangerous for anyone who used it for any length of time.  This controversy has persisted for several decades now and still continues after the death of Dr. Atkins in 2003.

The primary basis of the Atkins new diet was to practically eliminate carbohydrates from your diet while having an excess of protein and fat in your diet.  The end result is what is called a “ketogenic diet” because it causes the body to make extra ketones and results in the kidneys undergoing stress, trying to eliminate extra ketones in the diet.  Most doctors feel that a diet that produces excess body ketones is dangerous and allows for potential damage to the kidneys. 

The Atkins new diet is supposed to work by starving the body of carbohydrates.  We normally use carbohydrates for cellular and brain fuel.  When there are no carbohydrates in the diet, the body is supposed to burn fat, supposedly the fat in your body. This, Atkins supporters say, is why the diet causes you to lose weight.  What the diet doesn’t address is the fact that it contains excess fat in the diet itself, which could be the source of the fuel the body uses and not the fat in the body.

The Atkins new diet relied on the use of regular food with the exception of things like Atkins protein bars, Atkins protein shakes and Atkins hot cereal.  These are all low carbohydrate foods that supplement things like pan-fried steak, eggs and hard cheeses.  Fat is supplied through grease and cream.  Cream cheese is used a great deal in this Atkins diet as well.

The Atkins new diet has been the source of a small amount of research.  Most of the studies have been small and have shown that an individual can lose several pounds over a few weeks.  Cholesterol and triglycerides did not get any worse after using the diet for up to twelve weeks.  There were no long term studies on the Atkins diet to see whether or not cholesterol or triglycerides were affected.  Kidney and liver damage is strongly suggested by most doctors but there have been no specific studies proving this. 

Research on the Atkins new diet indicate that it is better than other diets when it comes to short term weight loss but that it falls short of other diets when it comes to being able to maintain the diet, maintain the weight loss and eat in a manner that is healthy when compared to recommendations from doctors and nutritionists.