Critics of the Atkins diet have always questioned it’s health validity. When Dr Atkins was called before a Senate committee headed by George McGovern, he was forced to admit that pregnant women following his low carb diet would suffer fetal damage to their unborn babies.
Studies since have found that long term, Atkins dieters do not lose weight more quickly, or keep it off more, over a twelve month period as compared to people following other diets. The initial weight loss is mostly fluid, not fat as is often claimed.
And whilst the high levels of protein and fats, and extremely low level of carbohydrates, appeals to some people’s tastes, for most, it’s unappetizing and doesn’t produce a feeling of well being. As such, it becomes difficult to follow for long periods. Yet it is sold as a ‘way of life’, rather than a diet.
Most seriously, questions raised by Atkins’s death, and the state of his heart health as revealed in the medical report after his death, seemed to give credibility to his critics.
Officially, Atkins died as a result of slipping on an icy pavement near his office. But his medical report...