Atkins vs
QuackWatch: Why is this super-popular low carb diet not approved by
conservative
nutritionists?
by Tanya Zilberter,
PhD
Why is
Dr. Atkins' Book Listed on Quackwatch's quackery list?
First of all, the Quack Watch is Web site
devoted to fighting against all and any alternative medicine methods.
Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution is among the Quack Watch's
Non-Recommended
Sources of Health Advice (if you go there you'll see that there's
no
review on this book.) It's hard to say why, since Quack Watch does not
list
reasons ? scientific or otherwise? for placing this book on its list -
for
at lease two years now.
As to Dr. Atkins diet being an alternative
medicine method, this viewpoint seems to be outdated. First, because
there are dozens of clinical studies on low-carb diets - and now a
direct study of Atkins diet conducted at the Durham VA Medical Center
in North Carolina - showing that the diet
is efficient and safe.
Whatís interesting is that even the
more restrictive low-carb diet, the Ketogenic Diet, exists as a conventional
medical program in at least 35 states and at 10 countries.
Even for the most restrictive and least
balanced of low-calorie diets, the Ketogenic Diet, no serious negative
effects have been ever reported. Quite to the contrary - studies
described in peer-reviewed medical journals reported the following
facts: (Click here for
clinical evidence)
Why Are There so Many Doctors and
Dieticians Warning Against Low-Carb Diets?
Many conventional medical professionals,
including several medical institutions' official sites on the Net, warn
of the potential dangers of low-carb dieting, but no scientific
publications seem to exist that can confirm or explain these warnings.
Launching my Low-Carb Workshop at
Weightloss.about.com, I've invited all low-carb opponents to share
their opinions and to factually back them up. During two years
of ongoing discussion ñ sometimes very fierce
- there were plenty of negative opinions but no evidence whatsoever
provided against low-carb diets. I keep watching scientific literature
very closely, but, so far, there's still no clinical or experimental
data against low-carb dieting.
Isn't it True That High-Fat Intake a
Low-Carb Diet can Cause a Bad Blood Test Reading?
Indeed, it is very well known that consuming
foods that are high in fat seriously impair our blood biochemistry.
However, this conclusion is a misconception. Clinical data shows that
the high-fat, high-carb diets - not high-fat,
low-carb diets - made blood tests numbers worse.
A few cases in point:
- Researchers from Veterans Affairs Medical
Center, University of Texas, concluded, "Compared with the
low-carbohydrate diet, the high-carbohydrate diet caused a 27.5-percent
increase in plasma triglycerides and a similar increase in LDL ("bad
cholesterol") levels; it also reduced levels of HDL ("good
cholesterol") by 11 percent."
- Out of my About.com weight-loss community
members, 39 low-carb dieters mentioned cholesterol changes along with
their weight loss. Two of them
have had their numbers worsen and 37 had their numbers improve. Six
reported
that their blood pressure also decreased.
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