Atkins diet

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Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution, first published in 1972 Atkins Diet Revolution.png
Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution, first published in 1972

The Atkins diet is a low-carbohydrate fad diet devised by Robert Atkins in the 1970s, marketed with claims that carbohydrate restriction is crucial to weight loss and that the diet offered "a high calorie way to stay thin forever". [2] [1]

Contents

The diet became popular in the early 2000s, with Atkins' book becoming one of the top 50 best-selling books in history, and as many as 1 in 11 North American adults claiming to be following it. Atkins died in 2003 and in 2005 Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. filed for bankruptcy following substantial financial losses.

There is no strong evidence of the diet's effectiveness in achieving durable weight loss; it is unbalanced as it promotes unlimited consumption of protein and saturated fat, and it may increase the risk of heart disease. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Effectiveness and risks

There is weak evidence that the Atkins diet is more effective than behavioral counseling for weight loss at 6-12 months. [5] The Atkins diet led to 0.1% to 2.9% more weight loss at one year compared to control groups which received behavioural counselling for weight loss. [5] As with other commercial weight loss programs, the effect size is smaller over longer periods. [5] [7] Low-carb dieters' initial advantage in weight loss is likely a result of increased water loss, and that after the initial period, low-carbohydrate diets produce similar fat loss to other diets with similar caloric intake. [8]

Atkins did not publish any clinical data on his patients and has thus been criticized for making unsupported statements about health. [9] Because of its high saturated fat content the Atkins diet may increase the risk of heart disease. [3] [6] A medical report issued by the New York medical examiner's office a year after the author's death showed that he had a history of heart attack, congestive heart failure and hypertension. [10] The Atkins diet has been criticized by the American Medical Association, American Dietetic Association and the American Heart Association as nutritionally unbalanced. [1] [11] In 2000, Journal of the American College of Nutrition conducted a study which determined that “the very high fats of Atkins diet: 60%–68%, around 26% of which are saturates, through shifting the metabolic pathway for energy production, deliver a strong boost to free radical production, thereby increasing oxidative stress on different organs”. [12]

Modified Atkins and epilepsy

Ketogenic diets are used to treat epilepsy in children, where there is some evidence it has a positive effect in reducing seizures. [13] There is some evidence that adults too may experience seizure reduction derived from therapeutic ketogenic diets, and that a less strict regimen, such as a modified Atkins diet, is similarly effective. [14]

Description

Bacon and eggs, foods consumed on the Atkins diet Eggs and bacon.jpg
Bacon and eggs, foods consumed on the Atkins diet

The Atkins diet has been described as a low-carbohydrate, high-fat, high-protein fad diet. [1] It promotes the consumption of meat, cheese, eggs and other high-fat foods such as butter, mayonnaise and sour cream in unlimited amounts whilst bread, cereal, pasta and other carbohydrates are forbidden. [1] [3] Atkins' book New Diet Revolution has sold 12 million copies. It has been described as "the bestselling fad-diet book ever written." [1]

Preferred foods in all categories are whole, unprocessed foods with a low glycemic index, although restrictions for low glycemic carbohydrates (black rice, vegetables, etc.) are the same as those for high glycemic carbohydrates (sugar, white bread). Due to concerns from medical experts about the high-fat content of the diet, the Atkins Nutritionals company that market foods for the diet, recommends that no more than 20% of calories eaten while on the diet come from saturated fat. [15]

Proposed mechanism

The diet was inspired by a low-carbohydrate approach published by Alfred W. Pennington, based on research Pennington did during World War II at DuPont. [16] The Atkins diet is promoted with claims that carbohydrate restriction is the "key" to weight loss. [2]

In his early books such as Dr Atkins' New Diet Revolution, Atkins made the controversial argument that the low-carbohydrate diet produces a metabolic advantage because "burning fat takes more calories so you expend more calories"; the Atkins diet was claimed to be "a high calorie way to stay thin forever". [17] [18] He cited one study in which he estimated this advantage to be 950 calories (4.0 MJ) per day. A review study published in Lancet [19] concluded that there was no such metabolic advantage and dieters were simply eating fewer calories. Astrup stated, "The monotony and simplicity of the diet could inhibit appetite and food intake." David L. Katz has characterized Atkins' claim as nonsense. [2] The idea of "metabolic advantage" of low-carbohydrate dieting has been falsified by experiment in a study of people following restricted-carbohydrate dieting. [17]

Society and culture

Commercialization

Atkins Nutritionals was founded in 1989 by Atkins to promote the sale of Atkins-branded products. Following his death, waning popularity of the diet and a reduction in demand for Atkins products, Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 31, 2005 citing losses of $340 million. [20] It was subsequently purchased by North Castle Partners in 2007 and switched its emphasis to low-carb snacks. [21] In 2010, the company was acquired by Roark Capital Group. [22] In 2017, Roark Capital Group announced that it would merge Atkins Nutritionals with Conyers Park Acquisition Corp to form a public company called Simply Good Foods. [23]

History

Atkins's ideas were first published in his 1972 book Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution: The High Calorie Way to Stay Thin Forever. [1]

The diet gained widespread popularity in 2003 and 2004. At the height of its popularity one in eleven North American adults claimed to be on a low-carb diet such as Atkins. [24] This large following was blamed for large declines in the sales of carbohydrate-heavy foods like pasta and rice: sales were down 8.2 and 4.6 percent, respectively, in 2003. The diet's success was even blamed for a decline in Krispy Kreme sales. [25] Trying to capitalize on the "low-carb craze", many companies released special product lines that were low in carbohydrates.

Around that time, the percentage of American adults on the diet declined to two percent and sales of Atkins brand products fell steeply in the second half of 2004. [26]

A 2021 review article observed that, 50 years after it was first mooted, the Atkins diet was "coming back on the quackery scene again". [27]

Cost

An analysis conducted by Forbes magazine found that the sample menu from the Atkins diet was one of the top five most expensive to eat, of the ten plans Forbes analyzed. This was due to the inclusion of recipes with some high-cost ingredients such as lobster tails which were put in the book to demonstrate the variety of foods which could be consumed on the diet. The analysis showed the median average cost of the ten diets was approximately 50% higher, and Atkins 80% higher, than the American national average. The Atkins diet was less expensive than the Jenny Craig diet and more expensive than Weight Watchers. [28]

Failed lawsuit

In 2004, Jody Gorran sued the estate of Robert Atkins and his company seeking $28,000 in damages. [29] [30] Gorran stated that he had followed the Atkins diet for two years and it raised his LDL-cholesterol so much that a major artery became clogged and he required an angioplasty and stent insertion to open it. [4] [29] On the Atkins diet he was eating large amounts of cheese which is high in saturated fat. Gorran commented that "the issue with the Atkins Diet was not so much that my cholesterol went up but it's the fact that the Atkins empire constantly stated that in the absence of refined carbohydrates, eating a great deal of saturated fat would not be a problem and that was a lie." [31] The lawsuit was dismissed in 2007 as the Atkins diet consists of only "advice and ideas" that are protected by the First Amendment. [32]

See also

Related Research Articles

Dieting is the practice of eating food in a regulated way to decrease, maintain, or increase body weight, or to prevent and treat diseases such as diabetes and obesity. As weight loss depends on calorie intake, different kinds of calorie-reduced diets, such as those emphasising particular macronutrients, have been shown to be no more effective than one another. As weight regain is common, diet success is best predicted by long-term adherence. Regardless, the outcome of a diet can vary widely depending on the individual.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Atkins (physician)</span> American physician (1930–2003)

Robert Coleman Atkins was an American physician and cardiologist, best known for the Atkins Diet, which requires close control of carbohydrate consumption and emphasizes protein and fat as the primary sources of dietary calories in addition to a controlled number of carbohydrates from vegetables.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glycemic index</span> Number assigned to food

The glycemic (glycaemic) index is a number from 0 to 100 assigned to a food, with pure glucose arbitrarily given the value of 100, which represents the relative rise in the blood glucose level two hours after consuming that food. The GI of a specific food depends primarily on the quantity and type of carbohydrate it contains, but is also affected by the amount of entrapment of the carbohydrate molecules within the food, the fat and protein content of the food, the amount of organic acids in the food, and whether it is cooked and, if so, how it is cooked. GI tables, which list many types of foods and their GIs, are available. A food is considered to have a low GI if it is 55 or less; high GI if 70 or more; and mid-range GI if 56 to 69.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fad diet</span> Popular diet with claims not supported by science

A fad diet is a diet that is popular, generally only for a short time, similar to fads in fashion, without being a standard scientific dietary recommendation, and often making unreasonable claims for fast weight loss or health improvements; as such it is often considered a type of pseudoscientific diet. Fad diets are usually not supported by clinical research and their health recommendations are not peer-reviewed, thus they often make unsubstantiated statements about health and disease.

The Zone diet is a fad diet emphasizing low-carbohydrate consumption. It was created by Barry Sears, an American biochemist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low-carbohydrate diet</span> Diets restricting carbohydrate consumption

Low-carbohydrate diets restrict carbohydrate consumption relative to the average diet. Foods high in carbohydrates are limited, and replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of fat and protein, as well as low carbohydrate foods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ketogenic diet</span> High-fat dietary therapy for epilepsy

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate dietary therapy that in conventional medicine is used mainly to treat hard-to-control (refractory) epilepsy in children. The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-protein diet</span> A diet high in protein

A high-protein diet is a diet in which 20% or more of the total daily calories comes from protein. Many high protein diets are high in saturated fat and restrict intake of carbohydrates.

The Montignac diet is a high-protein low-carbohydrate fad diet that was popular in the 1990s, mainly in Europe. It was invented by Frenchman Michel Montignac (1944–2010), an international executive for the pharmaceutical industry, who, like his father, was overweight in his youth. His method is aimed at people wishing to lose weight efficiently and lastingly, reduce risks of heart failure, and prevent diabetes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Very-low-calorie diet</span> Diet with very or extremely low daily food energy consumption

A very-low-calorie diet (VLCD), also known as semistarvation diet and crash diet, is a type of diet with very or extremely low daily food energy consumption. VLCDs are defined as a diet of 800 kilocalories (3,300 kJ) per day or less. Modern medically supervised VLCDs use total meal replacements, with regulated formulations in Europe and Canada which contain the recommended daily requirements for vitamins, minerals, trace elements, fatty acids, protein and electrolyte balance. Carbohydrates may be entirely absent, or substituted for a portion of the protein; this choice has important metabolic effects. Medically supervised VLCDs have specific therapeutic applications for rapid weight loss, such as in morbid obesity or before a bariatric surgery, using formulated, nutritionally complete liquid meals containing 800 kilocalories or less per day for a maximum of 12 weeks.

A diabetic diet is a diet that is used by people with diabetes mellitus or high blood sugar to minimize symptoms and dangerous complications of long-term elevations in blood sugar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low-fat diet</span> Diet that contains limited amounts of fat

A low-fat diet is one that restricts fat, and often saturated fat and cholesterol as well. Low-fat diets are intended to reduce the occurrence of conditions such as heart disease and obesity. For weight loss, they perform similarly to a low-carbohydrate diet, since macronutrient composition does not determine weight loss success. Fat provides nine calories per gram while carbohydrates and protein each provide four calories per gram. The Institute of Medicine recommends limiting fat intake to 35% of total calories to control saturated fat intake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Taubes</span> Science writer, born 1956

Gary Taubes is an American journalist, writer, and low-carbohydrate / high-fat (LCHF) diet advocate. His central claim is that carbohydrates, especially sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, overstimulate the secretion of insulin, causing the body to store fat in fat cells and the liver, and that it is primarily a high level of dietary carbohydrate consumption that accounts for obesity and other metabolic syndrome conditions. He is the author of Nobel Dreams (1987); Bad Science: The Short Life and Weird Times of Cold Fusion (1993); Good Calories, Bad Calories (2007), titled The Diet Delusion (2008) in the UK and Australia; Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It (2010); The Case Against Sugar (2016); and The Case for Keto: Rethinking Weight Control and the Science and Practice of Low-Carb/High-Fat Eating (2020). Taubes's work often goes against accepted scientific, governmental, and popular tenets such as that obesity is caused by eating too much and exercising too little and that excessive consumption of fat, especially saturated fat in animal products, leads to cardiovascular disease.

The South Beach Diet is a popular fad diet developed by Arthur Agatston and promoted in a best-selling 2003 book. It emphasizes eating food with a low glycemic index, and categorizes carbohydrates and fats as "good" or "bad". Like other fad diets, it may have elements which are generally recognized as sensible, but it promises benefits not backed by supporting evidence or sound science.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weight management</span> Techniques for maintaining body weight

Weight management refers to behaviors, techniques, and physiological processes that contribute to a person's ability to attain and maintain a healthy weight. Most weight management techniques encompass long-term lifestyle strategies that promote healthy eating and daily physical activity. Moreover, weight management involves developing meaningful ways to track weight over time and to identify ideal body weights for different individuals.

The Dukan Diet is a high-protein low-carbohydrate fad diet devised by Pierre Dukan.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to diabetes mellitus :

Fred Pescatore is a Manhattan-based author and internist who specializes in nutrition. He is best known as the author of the bestselling children's health book Feed Your Kids Well (1998) and The Hamptons Diet (2004).

Weight Watchers or WW is a commercial program for weight loss based on a point system, meals replacement and counseling.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gardiner S, Gilman SL (2008). "Atkins, Robert, MD (1930-2003)". In Gilman SL (ed.). Diets and Dieting: A Cultural Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 12. ISBN   978-1-135-87068-3.
  2. 1 2 3 Katz DL (2003). "Pandemic obesity and the contagion of nutritional nonsense". Public Health Rev. 31 (1): 33–44. PMID   14656042.
  3. 1 2 3 Longe, Jacqueline L. (2008). The Gale Encyclopedia of Diets: A Guide to Health and Nutrition. The Gale Group. pp. 84-87. ISBN   978-1-4144-2991-5
  4. 1 2 "Alleged Atkins Diet Victim Files Suit". Quackwatch. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Gudzune, KA; Doshi, RS; Mehta, AK; Chaudhry, ZW; Jacobs, DK; Vakil, RM; Lee, CJ; Bleich, SN; Clark, JM (7 April 2015). "Efficacy of commercial weight-loss programs: an updated systematic review". Annals of Internal Medicine. 162 (7): 501–12. doi:10.7326/M14-2238. PMC   4446719 . PMID   25844997. Atkins resulted in 0.1% to 2.9% greater weight loss at 12 months than counseling.
  6. 1 2 Alters S, Schiff W (22 February 2012). Chapter 10: Body Weight and Its Management (Sixth ed.). Jones & Bartlett Publishers. p. 327. ISBN   978-1-4496-3062-1.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  7. ↑ Harper, A; Astrup, A (2004). "Can we advise our obese patients to follow the Atkins diet?". Obesity Reviews (editorial). 5 (2): 93–94. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2004.00137.x . PMID   15086862. S2CID   40176596. Despite the popularity and apparent success of the Atkins diet, documented scientific evidence in support of its use unfortunately lags behind.
  8. ↑ Freedman, Marjorie R; King, Janet; Kennedy, Eileen (2001). "Executive Summary". Obesity Research. 9: 1S–40S. doi: 10.1038/oby.2001.113 . PMID   11374180.
  9. ↑ Riche, William Harding le (1981). "Foods, fads and fallacies". Modern Medicine. 6 (10): 5–15. hdl:10520/AJA02599333_832.
  10. ↑ "Report Details Dr. Atkins's Health Problems". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  11. ↑ St Jeor ST, Howard BV, Prewitt TE, Bovee V, Bazzarre T, Eckel RH (October 2001). "Dietary protein and weight reduction: a statement for healthcare professionals from the Nutrition Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism of the American Heart Association". Circulation. 104 (15): 1869–74. doi: 10.1161/hc4001.096152 . PMID   11591629.
  12. ↑ Anderson, J. W.; Konz, E. C.; Jenkins, D. J. (October 2000). "Health advantages and disadvantages of weight-reducing diets: a computer analysis and critical review". Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 19 (5): 578–590. doi:10.1080/07315724.2000.10718955. ISSN   0731-5724. PMID   11022871. S2CID   25815308.
  13. ↑ Treadwell, Jonathan R.; Wu, Mingche; Tsou, Amy Y. (2022-10-25). Management of Infantile Epilepsies (Report). Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). doi:10.23970/ahrqepccer252.
  14. ↑ Freeman, JM; Kossoff, EH; Hartman, AL (March 2007). "The ketogenic diet: one decade later". Pediatrics. 119 (3): 535–43. doi:10.1542/peds.2006-2447. PMID   17332207. S2CID   26629499.
  15. ↑ "Atkins diet boss: 'Eat less fat'". BBC News. BBC. January 19, 2004. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
  16. ↑ Martin, Douglas (April 18, 2003). "Dr. Robert C. Atkins, Author of Controversial but Best-Selling Diet Books, Is Dead at 72". The New York Times.
  17. 1 2 Hall KD (2017). "A review of the carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity". Eur J Clin Nutr (Review). 71 (3): 323–326. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2016.260. PMID   28074888. S2CID   54484172.
  18. ↑ Atkins, Robert (2003-09-25). Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, Revised Edition . .Evans. ISBN   978-1-59077-002-3.
  19. ↑ Astrup, Arne; Larsen, Thomas Meinert; Harper, Angela (2004). "Atkins and other low-carbohydrate diets: Hoax or an effective tool for weight loss?". The Lancet. 364 (9437): 897–9. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16986-9. PMID   15351198. S2CID   24756993.
  20. ↑ Atkins Nutritionals files for bankruptcy – AP 1 August 2005.
  21. ↑ "Atkins firm seeks financial help". BBC News. August 1, 2005.
  22. ↑ Bills, Steve (20 March 2013). "Atkins delivers $118 mln dividend to Roark Capital". Reuters.
  23. ↑ Allison, David (11 April 2017). "Atlanta's Roark Capital in deal to form The Simply Good Foods Company". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  24. ↑ Kaufman, Wendy (August 3, 2005). "Atkins Bankruptcy a Boon for Pasta Makers". NPR.
  25. ↑ Schooler, Larry (June 22, 2004). "Low-Carb Diets Trim Krispy Kreme's Profit Line". NPR . Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  26. ↑ Howard, Theresa (1 August 2005). "Atkins Nutritionals files for bankruptcy protection". USA Today. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  27. ↑ Schutz Y, Montani JP, Dulloo AG (March 2021). "Low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets in body weight control: A recurrent plaguing issue of fad diets?". Obes Rev (Review). 22 (Suppl 2): e13195. doi: 10.1111/obr.13195 . PMID   33471427.
  28. ↑ Costly Calories Forbes.com
  29. 1 2 "Dieter Sues Atkins Estate and Company". The New York Times. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  30. ↑ "Atkins dieter sues after heart op". BBC News. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  31. ↑ "Gorran: Atkins suit a 'quest for knowledge'". CNN.com. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  32. ↑ "Judge tosses suit of Florida man on Atkins diet". Reuters. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
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