Tag Archives: Atkins diet

June 25, 2016 · 2:00 AM

Long-Term Severe Carbohydrate Restriction Is Possible!

I got an email a few days ago from a blog reader, J.H. (I won’t give his name because I didn’t ask permission to publish his letter):

Dr. Parker — I’m a 65 year old male who has battled insulin resistance and pre-diabetes for many years. About 15 months ago I started pursuing a very low carb (20 grams per day) ketogenic diet, and my health has improved significantly. I’ve lost about 35 lbs (down from 265), and I have not found it difficult at all to stay on this regimen. You mentioned in an article (https://diabeticmediterraneandiet.com/ketogenic-mediterranean-diet/) that you don’t believe people can stay with it for more than 6 months and that most people can only last about two weeks. With all due respect, hogwash! I was fortunate enough to become a patient of Eric Westman at Duke, and he does an excellent job of teaching the ketogenic diet to his patients. Any overweight person should give it great consideration, and it’s just not that hard to follow.

Best regards, J.H.

My response was: “Congrats on a job well done! I wish all my patients had your discipline and commitment.”

I have great respect for Dr. Westman. He’s the c0-author of The New Atkins for a New You. I reviewed it in 2010. No clinical studies have compared the effectiveness of Dr. Westman’s diet to my Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet, which attempts to lasso the health benefits of the time-honored traditional Mediterranean diet while helping folks lose weight. The Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet is a key component of Conquer Diabetes and Prediabetes.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: You don’t have to know what ketogenic means to benefit from ketosis.

PPS: I have a non-diabetic version of the Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet for otherwise healthy folks who just need to lose a boatload of weight.

low-carb mediterranean diet

Front cover of book

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November 29, 2012 · 5:40 AM

Low-Carb Research Update

“What about that recent study in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition…?”

As much as possible, I base my nutrition and medical recommendations on science-based research published in the medical literature.  Medical textbooks can be very helpful, but they aren’t as up-to-date as the medical journals.

In the early 2000s, a flurry of research reports demonstrated that very-low-carb eating (as in Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution) was safe and effective for short-term weight management and control of diabetes.  I was still concerned back then about the long-term safety of the high fat content of Atkins.  But 80 hours of literature review in 2009 allowed me to embrace low-carbohydrate eating as a logical and viable option for many of my patients.  The evidence convinced me that the high fat content (saturated or otherwise) of many low-carb diets was little to worry about over the long run.

By the way, have you noticed some of the celebrities jumping on the low-carb weight-management bandwagon lately?  Sharon Osbourne, Drew Carey, and Alec Baldwin, to name a few.

My primary nutrition interests are low-carb eating, the Mediterranean diet, and the paleo diet.  I’m careful to stay up-to-date with the pertinent scientific research.  I’d like to share with you some of the pertinent research findings of the last few years.

Low-Carb Diets

  • Low-carb diets reduce weight, reduce blood pressure, lower triglyceride levels (a healthy move), and raise HDL cholesterol (another good trend).  These improvements should help reduce your risk of heart disease.  (In the journal Obesity Reviews, 2012.)
  • Dietary fat, including saturated fat, is not a cause of vascular disease such as heart attacks and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).  (Multiple research reports.)
  • If you’re overweight and replace two sugary drinks a day with diet soda or water, you’ll lose about four pounds over the next six months.  (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2012.)
  • United States residents obtain 40% of total calories from grains and added sugars.  Most developed countries are similar.  Dr. Stephan Guyenet notes that U.S. sugar consumption increased steadily “…from 6.3 pounds [2.9 kg] per person per year in 1822 to 107.7 pounds [50 kg] per person in 1999.  Wrap your brain around this: in 1822 we ate the amount of added sugar in one 12-ounce can of soda every five days, while today we eat that much sugar every seven hours.”
  • A very-low-carb diet improves the memory of those with age-related mild cognitive impairment. Mild cognitive impairment is a precursor to dementia.  (University of Cincinnati, 2012.)
  • High-carbohydrate and sugar-rich diets greatly raise the risk of mild cognitive impairment in the elderly. (Mayo Clinic study published in the Journal of Alzheimers’ Disease, 2012.)
  • Compared to obese low-fat dieters, low-carb dieters lose twice as much fat weight.  (University of Cincinnati, 2011.)
  • Diets low in sugar and refined starches are linked to lower risk of age-related macular degeneration in women.  Macular degeneration is a major cause of blindness.  (University of Wisconsin, 2011.)
  • A ketogenic (very-low-carb) Mediterranean diet cures metabolic syndrome (Journal of Medicinal Food, 2011.)
  • For type 2 diabetics, replacing a daily muffin (high-carb) with two ounces (60 g) of nuts (low-carb) improves blood sugar control and reduces LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol). (Diabetes Care, 2011.)
  • For those afflicted with fatty liver, a low-carb diet beats a low-fat diet for management. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2011.)
  • For weight loss, the American Diabetes Association has endorsed low-carb (under 130 g/day) and Mediterranean diets, for use up to two years. (Diabetes Care, 2011.)
  • High-carbohydrate eating doubles the risk of heart disease (coronary artery disease) in women.  (Archives of Internal Medicine, 2010.)
  • One criticism of low-carb diets is that they may be high in protein, which in turn may cause bone thinning (osteoporosis).  A 2010 study shows this is not a problem, at least in women.  Men were not studied.  (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.)
  • High-carbohydrate eating increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010.)
  • Obesity in U.S. children tripled from 1980 to 2000, rising to 17% of all children.  A low-carb, high-protein diet is safe and effective for obese adolescents.  (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010.)

Mediterranean Diet

The traditional Mediterranean diet is well established as a healthy way of eating despite being relatively high in carbohydrate: 50 to 60% of total calories.  It’s known to prolong life span while reducing rates of heart disease, cancer, strokes, diabetes, and dementia.  The Mediterranean diet is rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, olive oil, whole grain bread, fish, and judicious amounts of wine, while incorporating relatively little meat.  It deserves your serious consideration.  I keep abreast of the latest scientific literature on this diet.

  • Olive oil is linked to longer life span and reduced heart disease.  (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2012.)
  • Olive oil is associated with reduced stroke risk.  (Neurology, 2012).
  • The Mediterranean diet reduces risk of sudden cardiac death in women.  (Journal of the American Medical Association, 2011.)
  • The Mediterranean diet is linked to fewer strokes visible by MRI scanning.  (Annals of Neurology, 2011.)
  • It reduces the symptoms of asthma in children.  (Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2011.)
  • Compared to low-fat eating, it reduces the incidence of type 2 diabetes by 50% in middle-aged and older folks.  (Diabetes Care, 2010.)
  •  A review of all available well-designed studies on the Mediterranean diet confirms that it reduces risk of death, decreases heart disease, and reduces rates of cancer, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and mild cognitive impairment.  (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010.)
  • It reduces the risk of breast cancer.  (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010.)
  • The Mediterranean diet reduces Alzheimer’s disease.   (New York residents, Archives of Neurology, 2010).
  • It slows the rate of age-related mental decline.  (Chicago residents, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010.)
  • In patients already diagnosed with heart disease, the Mediterranean diet prevents future heart-related events and preserves heart function.  (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010.)

Clearly, low-carb and Mediterranean-style eating have much to recommend them.  Low-carb eating is particularly useful for weight loss and management, and control of diabetes, prediabetes, and metabolic syndrome.  Long-term health effects of low-carb eating are less well established.  That’s where the Mediterranean diet shines.  That’s why I ask many of my patients to combine both approaches: low-carb and Mediterranean.  Note that several components of the Mediterranean diet are inherently low-carb: olive oil, nuts and seeds, fish, some wines, and many fruits and vegetables.  These items easily fit into a low-carb lifestyle and may yield the long-term health benefits of the Mediterranean diet.  If you’re interested, I’ve posted on the Internet a Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet that will get you started.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Disclaimer:  All matters regarding your health require supervision by a personal physician or other appropriate health professional familiar with your current health status.  Always consult your personal physician before making any dietary or exercise changes.

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October 22, 2010 · 9:30 AM

Atkins Diet for Diabetes: Lively Debate

HeartWire at TheHeart.Org on October 18, 2010, posted an article about use of the Atkins diet for people with diabetes.  You might enjoy the ongoing lively debate among (mostly) physicians and researchers.

My review of Atkins Diabetes Revolution summarizes my thoughts.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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August 23, 2010 · 5:22 AM

2002 Atkins Diet at a Glance

Dr. Robert C. Atkins is the modern popularizer of low-carb dieting.  He was neither the first nor only low-carb advocate of the 20th century, but certainly the most influential in modern history in terms of followers.  His Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution was published in 1972 and sold millions of copies. 

Sir Isaac Newton wrote in 1676: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”  Twentieth century giants for Dr. Atkins include Frank Evans, Blake Donaldson (the original paleo diet guru?), Per Hansen, Alfred Pennington, and John Yudkin.  Most of these were physicians, by the way.  William Banting preceeded them, in the 19th century.

Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, published in 2002, was a huge seller then and maintains a respectable sales volume even now.  My impression is that Atkins Nutritionals, Inc., has replaced it with The New Atkins for a New You, which I reviewed last spring.  Enough people still follow DANDR that I need to stay familiar with it.  Here’s my brief summary of the phases.

Induction or Phase 1

  • Limit carbs to 20 g of “net carbs” daily for a minimum of two weeks.
  • “Net carbs” is the total carb count in grams, minus the fiber grams.
  • 3 cups of salad greens daily with olive oil/vingar or lemon juice OR 2 cups of salad greens and one cup of non-starchy cooked vegetables (e.g., broccoli or zucchini).
  • May also eat 3–4 ounces of aged cheese, a handful of olives, and half an avocado daily.

Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) or Phase 2

  • Deliberate slowing of weight loss.
  • Gradually add back nutrient-rich carbs.
  • Increase net carbs weekly by just 5 g, by eating more veggies, nuts, seeds, even berries (this is where the “carb ladder” comes into play, adding carb groups in a specific order).
  • Some dieters can even add small amounts of beans and fruits other than berries, until weight loss stalls.  At that point, you drop back 5 g net carbs, to your Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing (CCLL).

Pre-maintenance or Phase 3

  • Begins 5 or 10 pounds before reaching your weight goal.
  • Weight loss slows even more, taking at least 2 months to lose that last 10 pounds.
  • Can now add some starchy veggies like sweet potatoes, peas, whole grains.
  • If weight loss stops before goal, drop back down by 5-10 g net carbs, to your revised CCLL.

Lifetime Maintenance or Phase 4

  • Starts when you’ve been at goal weight for one month.
  • No more junk food, ever.
  • Stay vigilant for excessive carbs.  You may never be able to go back to whole grains or higher-carb fruits and vegetables.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: Gary Taubes reviews the history of low-carb diets in his masterpiece, Good Calories, Bad Calories.

Sir Isaac Newton
Head and shoulders portrait of man in black with shoulder-length gray hair, a large sharp nose, and an abstracted gaze

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August 7, 2010 · 2:00 AM

Low-Fat and Low-Carb Diets End Battle in Tie After Two Years, But…

Dieters on low-fat and low-carb diets both lost the same amount of weight after two years, according to a just-published article in Annals of Internal Medicine.  Both groups received intensive behavioral treatment, which may be the key to success for many.  Low-carb eating was clearly superior in terms of increased HDL cholesterol, which may help prevent heart disease and stroke.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and was carried out in Denver, St. Louis, and Philadelphia.

How Was It Done?

Healthy adults aged 18-65 were randomly assigned to either a low-fat or low-carbohydrate diet.  Average age was 45.  Average body mass index was 36 (over 25 is overweight; over 30 is obese).  Of the 307 participants, two thirds were women.  People over 136 kg (299 lb) were excluded from the study—I guess because weight-loss through dieting is rarely successful at higher weights.  Diabetics were excluded. 

The low-carb diet:  Essentially the Atkins diet with a prolonged induction phase (12 weeks instead of two).  Started with maximum of 20 g carbs daily, as low-carb vegetables.  Increase carbs by 5 g per week thereafter as long as weight loss progressed as planned.  Fat and protein consumption were unlimited.  The primary behavioral goal was to limit carb consumption.

The low-fat diet:  Calories were limited to 1200-1500 /day (women) or 1500-1800 (men).  [Those levels in general are too low, in my opinion.]  Diet was to consist of about 55% of calories from carbs, 30% from fat, 15% from protein.  The primary behavioral goal was to limit overall energy (calorie) intake. 

Both groups received frequent, intensive in-person group therapy—lead by dietitians and psychologists—periodically over two years, covering such topics as self-monitoring, weight-loss tips, management of weight regain and noncompliance with assigned diet.  Regular walking was recommended.

Body composition was measured periodically with dual X-ray absorptiometry.

What Did They Find?

Both groups lost about 11% of initial body weight, but tended to regain so that after two years, both groups average losses were only 7% of initial weight.  Weight loss looked a little better at three months in the low-carb group, but it wasn’t statistically significant. 

The groups had no differences in bone density or body composition.

No serious cardiovascular illnesses were reported by participants.  During the first six months, the low-carb group reported more bad breath, hair loss, dry mouth, and constipation.  After six months, constipation in the low-carb group was the only symptom difference between the groups.

During the first six months, the low-fat group had greater decreases in LDL cholesterol (with potentially less risk of heart disease), but the difference did not persist for one or two years.

Increases in HDL cholesterol (potentially heart-healthy) persisted throughout the study for the low-carb group.  The increase was 20% above baseline.

About a third of participants in both groups dropped out of the study before the two years were up.  [Not unusual.]

My Comments

Contrary to several previous studies that suggested low-carb diets are more successful than low-fat, the study at hand indicates they are equivalent as long as dieters get intensive long-term group behavioral intervention. 

Low-carb critics warn that the diet will cause osteoporosis, a dangerous thinning of the bones that predisposes to fractures.  This study disproves that.

Contrary to widespread criticism that low-carb eating—with lots of fat and cholestrol— is bad for your heart, this study notes a sustained elevation in HDL cholesterol (“good cholesterol”) on the low-carb diet over two years.  This also suggests the low-carbers  followed the diet fairly well.  The investigators also note that low-carb eating tends to produce light, fluffy LDL cholesterol, which is felt to be less injurious to arteries compared to small, dense LDL cholesterol.

A major strength of the study is that it lasted two years, which is rare for weight-loss diet research.

A major weakness is that the investigators apparently didn’t do anything to document the participants’ degree of compliance with the assigned diet.  It’s well known that many people in this setting can follow a diet pretty well for two to four months.  After that, adherence typically drops off as people go back to their old habits.  The group therapy sessions probably improved compliance, but we don’t know since it wasn’t documented. 

How often do we hear “Diets don’t work.”  Well, that’s just wrong.

Overall, it’s an impressive study, and done well. 

Individuals wishing to lose weight on their own can’t replicate these study conditions because of the in-person behavioral intervention component.  There are lots of self-help calorie-restricted balanced diets (e.g., Sonoma Diet, The Zone,  Advanced Mediterranean Diet) and low-carb diets (e.g., Atkins Diet, Banting’s Letter on Corpulence, Low-Carb Mediterranean or Ketogenic Mediterranean Diets).  On-line support groups—e.g. Low Carb Friends and SparkPeople and 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet—could supply some necessary behavioral intervention strategies and support.  

Choosing a weight-loss program is not as easy as many think.  [Well, I’ll admit that choosing the wrong one is easy.]  I review the pertinent issues in my “Prepare for Weight Loss” page.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Reference: Foster, Gary, et al.  Weight and metabolic outcomes after 2 years on a low-carbohydrate versus low-fat diet: a randomized trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 153 (2010): 147-157   PMID: 20679559

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August 2, 2010 · 10:25 AM

Is Your Diet Deficient in Micronutrients?

Laura Dolson at her Low Carb Diets Blog today reports on a recent study that compared micronutrient levels in three diets: Atkins, Zone, and LEARN.  Visit her post for the surprising and worrisome results of this study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

[In a nutshell, “micronutrients” are important vitamins and minerals present in small amounts in our food.]

Monica Reinagel has also reviewed the study.  I respect both of their opinions.

Steve Parker, M.D., author of The Advanced Mediterranean Diet

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April 28, 2010 · 9:18 PM

Individual Response to Weight-Loss Diet May Depend on Genes

Dieters with particular genetic make-up respond better or worse to specific types of weight-loss diets, suggest researchers who presented data at the 2010 Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention /Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism conference.  Findings are preliminary, but may explain the common phenomenon of two people going on the same diet, but only one achieving good results. 

I’ll bet you can imagine several other explanations.

Several years ago, the “A to Z” study compared the weight loss of 311 overweight women on one of four diets:  Atkins (low-carb), Ornish (very low fat, vegetarian), Learn (low-fat), and Zone (moderate carb restriction, high protein, moderate fat).  Atkins was a bit better than the other diets, in terms of long-term (one year) weight loss.  But within each diet group, some women lost 40–50 pounds (18–23 kg), whereas others gained over 10 pounds (4.5 kg).

Stanford University researchers obtained DNA from 138 of the 311 women and noted the occurence of three genes—ABP2, ADRB2, and PPAR-gamma—that had previously been shown to predict weight loss via diet-gene interactions.  For example, a particular mix of these genes predict better weight loss with a low-fat diet; a different mix predicts more loss with a low-carb diet.

Women who had been randomly assigned to one of the A to Z diets tended to lose much more weight if they happened to have the gene mix appropriate for that diet (compared to those on the same diet with the wrong gene mix).  The difference, for example, might be loss of 12 pounds versus two pounds.

The lead researcher, Dr. Mindy P. Nelson, told TheHeart.Org that the proportion in the general population genetically predisposed to the low-fat versus low-carb approach is about 50:50.

Take-Home Points

These results, again, are preliminary; additional testing is necessary for confirmation.  If they had been able to test the DNA of the other 178 women in the A to Z study, the results could have been either stronger or shown no diet-gene interaction.  The study hasn’t even been published in a peer-reviewed journal yet.

Men may or may not be subject to similar diet-gene interaction.

If a genetic test is ever clinically available to tell a dieter which type of weight-loss diet would be more successful, it will likely be cheaper to just try a particular diet first and see if it works over 4–6 weeks.  Successful long-term weight loss is like smoking cessation—most smokers try 5–7 different times or methods before hitting on one that works for them.

This potential diet-gene interaction could be a major finding that will stop the arguing about which is the single best way to lose excess fat.  Many paths may lead to the mountaintop. 

Steve Parker, M.D.

Reference:  O’Riordan, Michael.  Dieting by DNA?  Popular diets work best by genotype, reseach shows.  HeartWire by TheHeart.Org, March 8, 2010.

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March 7, 2010 · 2:58 PM

Book Review: The New Atkins for a New You

Here’s my review of The New Atkins for  a New You, a weight-loss book by Dr. Eric Westman, Dr. Stephen Phinney, and Dr. Jeff Volek released a week ago.  The copyright holder is Atkins Nutritionals, Inc.  Under Amazon.com’s five-star rating system, I give it four stars (“I like it”).  

♦   ♦   ♦ 

The most exciting nutritional medicine development in recent memory is the fact that saturated fat consumption is not a significant cause of heart disease and premature death. The same goes for for total fat and cholesterol.  When enough physicians, nutritionists, and dietitians learn this, low-carb eating will take off like a rocket.

For those unfamiliar with the Atkins diet, it is designed for weight loss via high fat consumption and major carbohydrate restriction.  Protein intake is a bit higher than average.  As long as carbohydrates (carbs) are kept low, other foods are mostly unlimited.  Atkins has four phases.  As you graduate from one phase tothe next, more carbs are allowed, adding some carb sources before others (the Carb Ladder). 

Atkins has been around for years.  It’s not just a weight-loss diet; it’s a lifetime way of eating.

Doctors Westman, Phinney, and Volek are leaders in low-carb nutritional science.  The last time Atkins peaked (2003), we didn’t have the scientific studies backing up safety of the diet.  Now we do, in large part thanks to these guys. 

Physicians see beaucoup patients with overweight-related medical conditions.  We’re not going to recommend a diet that causes heart attacks, strokes, and other major medical complications.  Published research over the last eight years has established the relative safety of very low-carb diets, particularly Atkins.  Low-carb diets may even be healthier than the low-fat, high-carb diet that has been recommended by U.S. public health authorities for the last forty years.  Come to think of it, our current obesity and diabetes epidemics started around that same time.

The book covers nutrition basics, day-to-day practical application of Atkins eating, recipes and detailed meal plans, and the science behind the program.    

What’s New Since Dr. Atkins’ 2002 Book?

  • adaptations for vegetarians and vegans
  • adaptations for Latinos
  • coffee is now OK
  • introduction of the term “foundation vegetables” and almost doubling the amount of vegetables allowed in Phase 1: “approximately six cups of salad and up to two cups of cooked vegetables, depending upon the ones you select”
  • more flexility, such as the option to skip Phase 1 (induction)
  • focus on adequate protein intake, based on your height
  • emphasis on getting enough omega-3 fatty acids
  • no emphasis on supplements and low-carb products sold by Atkins Nutritionals,Inc.
  • diet journals—a personal record of your weight-loss journey—are recommended
  • eliminate or minimize “induction flu” and constipation (in Phase 1) by eating at least 1/2 teaspoon of salt daily [I’m skeptical.]
  • discussion of the trendy omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio
  • favor monounsaturated fatty acids (e.g., olive oil, canola oil) over certain polyunsaturated fats, as in oils from corn, soybeans, sunflower, cottonseed, and peanuts
  • no mention of testing urine for ketosis
  • more discussion of psychological aspects of weight

The lack of ads for Atkins Nutritionals products is welcome and refreshing.  Too many of the official Atkins books read like infomercials, which diminishes credibility.

A vegetarian or vegan “Atkins diet” is just not something I can visualize.

What Could Have Been Done Better?

  • no specific amounts given for these recommended supplements: calcium, vitamin D, omega-3 fats, multivitamin, magnesium and other minerals (except “no iron”).  [Is the idea to encourage a visit the official Atkins website?]
  • little guidance for physicians who are to advise diabetics doing Atkins.  Few physicians are familiar enough with the program to make the necessary changes in particular diabetic medications.
  • little discussion of the constipation and leg cramps that often accompany very low-carb diets
  • the hype on the cover: “How would you like to LOSE UP TO 15 POUNDS IN TWO WEEKS!”  [To their credit, the authors note that such results are not typical.]
  • nearly all the measurements are U.S. Customary.  Metric users are out of luck.
  • four phases seem a bit much.  The beauty of Atkins Phase 1 is its simplicity. 

My favorite sentence: “White flour is better suited to glue for kindergarten art projects than to nutrition.”

My least favorite sentence: “We can’t stress strongly enough that the best diet for you is one composed of foods you love.”  I love apple pie and Cinnabon cinnamon rolls, but they won’t help me manage my weight.

The only error I found worth mentioning is minor.  The authors state that the American Heart Association recommends consumption of fish three times a week. The official policy is still “at least twice weekly.”

The book is very practical and easily understood by average people.  Most will skip the science chapters at the end.  I know the basic Atkins program works at least short-term; many of my patients have done it.

In summary, the book has nearly everything you need to be successful with the Atkins diet. 

As far as I know, there are no comprehensive long-term studies (e.g., 10+ years) regarding health outcomes of Atkins-style eating.  In other words, does Atkins have any effect on longevity, cancer, heart attacks, strokes, etc.?  But very few of the popular diets have these data either.  The best researched ways of eating in this respect are the Mediterranean diet and vegetarian diets.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Disclosure:  I was given nothing of value for this review by the authors, publisher, or Atkins Nutritionals, Inc.  I wrote it for the benefit of my patients and readers.

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December 1, 2009 · 2:00 AM

Book Review: Atkins Diabetes Revolution

I must give credit to Dr. Robert C. Atkins for popularizing an approach – carbohydrate restriction – that helps people with diabetes control their disease, and likely helps prevent type 2 diabetes in others.  Mary C. Vernon and Jacqueline Eberstein do a great job explaining his program in their 2004 book, Atkins Diabetes Revolution: The Groundbreaking Approach to Preventing and Controlling Type 2 Diabetes. 

On the Amazon.com five-star rating scale, I give this book four stars.

I can best summarize this book by noting that it is the standard Atkins diet with a few modifications: 1) special supplements  2) you add additional carbs to your diet more slowly  3) the warning that diabetics may well end up with a lower acceptable lifetime carbohydrate intake level.

By way of review, the Atkins diet is a very low-carb diet, particularly in the two-week induction phase.  “Very low-carb” means lots of meat, chicken, fish, eggs, limited cheese, and 2-3 cups daily of salad greens and low-carb veggies like onions, tomatoes, broccoli, and snow peas.  After induction phase, you slowly add back carbs on a weekly basis until weight loss stalls, then you cut back on carbs.

As an adult medicine specialist, I have no expertise in pediatrics.  I didn’t read the two chapters related to children.

The authors present “complimentary medicine”in a favorable light.  Unsuspecting readers need to know that much of complementary medicine is based on hearsay and anecdote, not science-based evidence.  In that same vein, the two chapters on supplements for diabetes and heart disease recommend a cocktail of supplements that I’m not convinced are needed.  I don’t know a single endocrinologist or cardiologist prescribing these concoctions.  Then again, I could be wrong.   

Vernon and Eberstein provide two excellent chapters on exercise.

A month of meal plans and recipes are provided for 20, 40, and 60-gram carbohydrate levels.  [The average American is eating 250-300 g of carbs daily.]  The recipes look quick and easy, but I didn’t prepare or taste any of them.

The 5-hour glucose and insulin tolerance test (GTT, paged 61) that Dr. Atkins reportedly ran on all patients who came to him is rarely done in other medical clinics.  This doesn’t mean it’s wrong, but certainly out of the mainstream.  The authors admit that at least a few people will have to count calories – specifically, limit total calories – if the basic program doesn’t control diabetes, prediabetes, and the metabolic syndrome.  Limiting portion size will speed weight loss, they write.

What we don’t know with certainty is, will long-term Atkins aficionados miss out on the health benefits of higher consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains?  Much of the scientific literature suggests, “Yes.”

What if we compare the long-term outlooks of a diabetic Atkins follower with a poorly controlled diabetic who’s 80 pounds overweight and eating a standard American diet?  The Atkins follower is quite likely to be healthier  and live longer.

Steve Parker, M.D.

 

 

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November 20, 2009 · 2:00 AM

For Heart’s Sake, Should You Avoid Red Meat in a Low-Carb Diet?

Low carbohydrate diets tend to contain disproportionate amounts of fat from animal sources.  Red meat has long been vilified as a major source of saturated fat that some experts believe cause hardening-of-the-arteries (atherosclerosis) via elevations in LDL cholesterol.  Others disagree.  Poultry, fish ,and shellfish generally have lower amounts of saturated fat than red meat.  Would a low-carb diet with a predominance of poultry, fish, and shellfish lead to a more advantageous cholesterol profile?

A 2007 report from U.S. researchers found no lipid advantage to the poultry/fish/shellfish model.    In fact, despite high cholesterol and fat intakes, neither diet caused a significant change in total, HDL, or LDL cholesterol levels.  Triglycerides fell in both groups, but to a statistically significant degree only on the poultry/fish/shellfish group.

Fun Fact:  Did you know that four of every 10 women in the U.S. are trying to lose weight?  The figure for men is one in three.  

Methodology

Researchers in Minnesota and Iowa enrolled 18 subjects (6 males, 12 females) between the ages of 30 and 50 who wanted to lose weight.  Average body mass index was 31.7, which is mildly obese.  The were encouraged to eat an Atkins-style ketogenic diet with a maximum of 20 g carbs/day, providing 1,487 total daily calories, with 7% of calories from carbohydrate, 43% from protein, and 50% from fat.  This included two or three cups of salad greens and low-carb vegetables.  Three ounces of cheese daily was allowed.  Subjects were randomly assigned to eat either red meat or poultry/fish/shellfish.  Dietary intervention lasted 28 days.

[This is very similar to Atkins Induction Phase, although Atkins does not limit total calories.  The researchers did not say why they wanted to limit total calories.] 

Data were not used from six subjects for good reasons (see article).  So final data analysis included only 12 subjects.

Results

Both groups lost the same amount of weight: about 5.5 kg (12 pounds) over 28 days.

Average carbohydrate intake was about the same for both groups: 55 g/day.

Average total daily caloric intake was about the same for both groups: 1,380.

The poultry/fish/shellfish group ate 630 mg cholesterol daily, twice as much as the other group.  [Eggs and shrimp were popular.]

The difference in intake of saturated fat approached, but did not reach, statistical significance (32 g/day in the red meat group vs 25 g).

Neither diet caused a significant change in total, HDL, or LDL cholesterol levels.  Triglycerides fell in both groups, but to a statistically significant degree only on the poultry/fish/shellfish group.

Urine ketones at or above 5 mg/dl were detected on 75% of all dipstick tests.

My Comments

I’m skeptical about the accuracy of the calorie counts.  Most people eating Atkins-style take in about 1,800 cals/day.  The preponderance of females, however, may explain the unusually low average caloric intake.  They didn’t follow their carb restriction very closely, did they?  These were free-living subjects not locked in a metabolic ward.

The researchers note that the allowance of cheese in both groups may have sabotaged their efforts for a clear delineation of higher versus lower saturated fat groups. 

HDL cholesterol usually rises significantly on low-carb diets.  Lack of that here may just be a statistical aberration.

This is such a small study that it’s impossible to draw firm conclusions.  Nevertheless, if someone is losing weight on a low-carb diet, it may not matter much from a lipid viewpoint whether they eat a predominance of meat or a predominance of poultry, fish, and shellfish.  The study at hand cannot address the long-term consequences of such a choice.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Reference:  Cassady, Bridget, et al.  Effects of low carbohydrate diets high in red meats or poultry, fish and shellfish on plasma lipids and weight loss.  Nutrition & Metabolism, 4:23   doi: 10.1186/1743-7075-4-23   Published October 31, 2007

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