[Karl Note: In my book, Life Flow One, The Solution For Heart Disease, I recommend the Atkins Diet. Since writing that in 1994, I have developed my own "Karl Loren Diet" which has some similarities to the Atkins Diet, but is sufficiently different that I no longer want to be thought of as "recommending" the Atkins Diet. My comments on THIS article are included appropriately in the text below. My comments are in blue, and in this different type style. Phil Kaplan is a well respected author and nutritionist and his credentials can be viewed by clicking here.]
Karl Note: On December 7, 2000, I asked Aajonus Vonderplanitz to review this article, he did, and returned the following comment to me with permission to quote:
Ninety percent of what Kaplan says is true for cooked food diets, including the Atkins diet. No one has developed kidney stones on my Primal Diet because uric acids do not excessively form nor collect when eating raw meat.
The low-metabolism occurs on a low-carb/no-carb diet because of the glucose is consumed as the body tries to reduce the toxicity generated from being cooked. Humans require little glucose from carbs to produce health when the diet is raw with meats and fat.
Healthfully, Aajonus
Karl Note: In January 2001, a reader queried this data, wondering what reference Aajonus might have for this information. Aajonus responded with the following. Click on the book titles to go to a page with more information about that book:
Hi, Karl,
Books: New Raw Energy by Susannah and Leslie Kenton
Cancer; Disease of Civilization? by Vilhjalmur Stefansson
Primitive Man and His Food by Arnold De Vries
As I stated in my book, even though Native American tribes cooked some of their meat, they did not have the bone degeneration theoretically associated with meat. They developed bone degeneration after many years of gathering nuts and cultivation. The tribes that mainly live on meat do not have symptoms of overacidity or bone deterioration that is said to be caused by meat-eating: Masai and Samburu. The problem is probably the high cooked carbohydrate intake that causes overacidity and degeneration from byproducts, such as Advance Glycation End Products.
My experience is that people who had suffered severe overacidic problems on every sort of diet reversed those conditions on the Primal Diet consuming from 1-3 lbs. of raw meat per day. There is always some overacidity of the blood due to a lifetime of toxins that must be dissolved and removed from the body. That mild but frequent overacidity is countered by drinking green vegetable juices between meat meals, but at least 1 hour from any meat consumption.
Healthfully, Aajonus
Phil Kaplan Addresses the New Protein Diets Head On!
Introductory Note: I've constructed this article so I have a point of reference, a central piece that I can refer people to when they come close to getting sucked in by one of the new "miracle" no-carb diets. I encourage trainers, nutritionists, physicians, and other medical, fitness, and wellness professionals to share this article with patients and clients.
Atkins' New Diet Revolution. The Zone. Protein Power. Sugar Busters. Those are just a few of the names of revamped versions of the low or no-carb diets. Before I take off into an attack on the blatant disinformation being disseminated, I'll separate the Zone from the rest of the pack as I feel Barry Sears, the author, does deliver a good amount of truly valuable information. He does offer a distinction between "favorable carbs" and "unfavorable carbs" and he doesn't ask you to wipe carbohydrates out of your nutritional program as some of the others do. Sears does confuse the weight loss issue by creating entities called "blocks" and he does offer a bit of misleading information on the concept of "glycemic index," but he does not as blatantly mislead and misinform the public as Dr. Atkins and The Eades, the promoters of Protein Power.
If you've heard me speak about the dangers of the Atkins Diet, or the frustrations I've experienced with the no-carb mentality that's sweeping the already misinformed and vulnerable over-fat nation we live in, I will not apologize for the repetition of the theme. Every single day, without exception, at least a dozen people ask me about these low-carb diets. I've counseled doctors on the dangers of the Atkins diet. I've been in touch with the heads of the American Dietetic Association, of Pritikin Longevity Centers, and with nutritional experts at Tufts and Berkeley Universities, and they share similar frustrations. People are being pulled from the truth by slick marketers of fraudulent and potentially dangerous diets and the hype is so powerful Americans are getting sucked in by the millions.
Once I get going on Atkins it's hard to stop me so let me get the Eades out of the way first. A quick story . . . I was contracted with a direct marketing company, Talk America. They were booking me on radio shows nationwide, handling order taking and fulfillment of my Body You Love program, and together we were doing some good for massive numbers of people throughout the country. As with all marketing companies, their concern was "selling" and they wanted me to play up the "angle" of the celebrities I'd worked with as well as give the impression, "it's quick, it's easy." I resisted and while we did have some back and forth battles, for the most part, with careful watch of their promotional tactics, things were going well. That's when they decided they wanted me to shoot a TV infomercial. We went back and forth, arguing about scripts, about sets, and all sorts of nonsense that I found altered my message of truth. I wanted to very simply be interviewed, honestly, on TV, just as I had been doing in live TV interviews throughout the country. To make a long story short, we butted heads, disagreed, and wound up fighting using lawyers as weapons. Talk America had already purchased TV time and they weren't about to let it go to waste. They found the Eades, and they produced the Protein Power infomercial. It upset me. I was upset because I was fighting so hard to maintain my integrity and deliver the truth, and when I refused to cross the lines of morality, they simply found someone who would. The Drs. Eades. They shot a TV infomercial leading people to believe, "it's quick, it's easy, and it works like magic" and together the Eades and Talk America started raking in a literal fortune. Until the attorney generals in several states started responding to complaints and Talk America found themselves in bankruptcy court. Still, the Eades made a fortune and continue to profess potentially dangerous "solutions." Despite my personal connection with the Eades program, I want to point out that this is not a personal vendetta. My position is one of truth, and my mission involves spreading that truth. I simply thought the brief story would be valuable in pointing out how ethics are often sacrificed for the lure of "quick, easy" money.
Since the Protein Power approach is pretty close to a mirror image of the Atkins Diet, there isn't any need to isolate Protein Power any further. The last reference I'll make specific to Protein Power is their reference to insulin as a "monster hormone." Insulin and glucagon are two pancreatic hormones that are involved in fuel storage and release, and a lack of concern for that balance can lead to fat accumulation, however, insulin is the hormone that regulates blood sugar, transports glucose for glycogen storage and amino acids for protein synthesis. To call it a "monster" shows a complete ignorance for the hormonal workings of the human body. Let's move on. From this point forward, I'll discuss the Atkins Diet, presenting it as the most popular version of a diet being sold under many different names to many different weight loss markets.
[Karl Note: So far I don't find anything to disagree with, except his apparent willingness to accept the ADA as a legitimate source of information on diet.]
On February 9, 2000, I set my alarm clock for 4:45 AM. I was staying at the Warner Hilton in Los Angeles. My wife was fast asleep and I tried not to wake her as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. It was still dark out, but I wanted to be wide awake when the phone rang. Paul Castronovo and Young Ron Brewer, the morning show hosts of South Florida's #1 morning radio show, were going to bring me on the air to confront their in-studio guest . . .yes, the one, the only . . . Dr. Atkins. He was visiting the studio at 8 AM Eastern Time, the same time my Los Angeles clock read 5:00 AM.
After the interview, Paul described Dr, Atkins as a surly old man. Sort of angry. Certainly not carrying a demeanor one might refer to as "pleasant." I'm not surprised. He's out there selling dangerous information and if he's faced with some criticism every day, it has to take its toll. Especially if that criticism comes from some of the most respected nutritional experts in the world!
I had spent the night before the interview reading Dr. Atkins' new book, Age Defying Diet Revolution. I was actually impressed by this one. He had included a great deal of valid information. I like the fact that he challenged the FDA on some of their fraudulent "laws" and I applaud his pointing out of the long-term health risks the ongoing ingestion of simple sugars and refined and processed flours can offer. He also offered valuable info on hormones that interplay and the relationships between antioxidants and free radicals. Good information.
I remember a line from the movie the Exorcist (the only movie that ever really scared me by the way). When the young priest, Father Karras is preparing to go meet the possessed girl face to face, the experienced exorcist, Father Merrin warns him, "do not listen to anything the demon says. He will mix lies with the truth to confuse you."
Mixing lies with the truth has become a powerful advertising technique. If an advertiser can impress you with enough actual science, if a marketer can gain your confidence with some legitimate and well founded information, it's not very challenging to sneak in a lie and establish a level of believability. Despite the fact that in his new book Atkins does deliver some valuable information, I'm careful not to forget the fact that he's offering a no-carb or very low-carb diet plan as a "cure-all" weight loss solution for the masses. Regardless of the truths he provides for public consumption in the future, as long as he holds tight to this "carbs are the enemy" dictum, he will find criticism continues to emerge at every clinical and professional juncture. Does the fact that he's making millions selling books alleviate the stress of criticism? I'm sure it does. Does the fact that he's landed on the New York Times best-seller list add anything to his credibility? Absolutely not! Suzanne Sommers sold a whole lot of thighmasters. That doesn't mean they did anybody any good!
Even with the compliments I had to offer for information presented in Dr. Atkins' Age Defying Diet Revolution, I can not bring myself to recommend the book. Amidst the valid information, he does plummet too far into his version of nutrition, encouraging people to follow his best-selling diet and to buy all sorts of supplements (that he now sells by the way) without offering enough of a focus on the essential inclusion of aerobic and resistance exercise. Yes, he does mention that everyone should exercise, and he does quote some research that backs up the fact that aerobic exercise strengthens cardiovascular health (was there any doubt?), but he gives resistance training all of one paragraph.
The body treats food very differently if it is well acquainted with exercise. Despite the partially valid information he provides for readers, there is a great deal of information in the book that is flawed at best. For example, while it is true that osteoporosis is affecting our population in alarming proportions, bone density can not be "repaired" or "protected" through nutritional supplementation without a distinctive concern for resistance exercise. Beyond bone density, exercise affects hormonal production in such a way that many of the nutritional supplements he recommends could easily be dismissed with a simple commitment to truly supportive eating and exercise. It appears to me, after reading his new book, cover to cover, that although it does offer some valid information, it serves as a vehicle to get more people to buy into his diet programs and waste lots of hard earned money on his nutritional products. I also noticed that this book was not written by Dr. Atkins alone, but rather with the assistance of Sheila Buff. I don't know who she is, but his book jacket references her as a freelance writer specializing in nutrition and medicine. I would guess that her input lent some validity to the text.
So, here I am, February 9, awake in my hotel room, fully prepared to confront Dr. Atkins when the phone rings. It's Glen Richards, the producer of the morning show. He seems a bit nervous. He had told me a week prior that Atkins was going to be an in-studio guest and he didn't want me to blatantly assault him. I could have. I had ammunition ranging from questions regarding his Board Certification to cases of wrongful death attributed to his diets. I decided I wouldn't go there unless provoked. Since I was on the phone and he was there live, I knew he had an edge. He could talk into the mike and my phone line volume could be turned down. I decided to approach him with respect and give him the opportunity to answer some concerns I had.
As I listened, by phone, to Dr. Atkins' preliminary conversation with Paul and Ron, I heard him completely contradict himself several times. When he was asked about Kidney problems associated with his diet, he boldly denied that anyone had ever experienced any kidney problem at all resulting from his diet. He assured the listeners it had never happened! Never! With tens of thousands of people . . . not one kidney issue. Ever! Ron Brewer then asked, "don't some people following your diet get kidney stones?"
As a point of reference, Rick Sanchez, a local South Florida newscaster, wound up hospitalized with digestive disorders after beginning the Atkins Diet, and Paul Castronovo's father had kidney stones after a bout with Atkins. Ron spoke not from conjecture, but from personal knowledge. I, in fact, have met hundreds, literally hundreds of Atkins "victims" who had passed kidney stones. Ouch! In fact, I spoke with a well-respected trainer several days before the ZETA Atkins interview, and this trainer, told me he tried the Atkins diet. He wanted to have some personal experience with it so he could better educate his clients who were asking. I asked the trainer if he lost weight. His answer, "Sure." Did you develop kidney stones? His answer, "Yup." So, isn't it interesting how I've seen a very high correlation between Atkins' Diet and kidney stones and Dr. Atkins denies having ever had a kidney issue pass through among his dieters? I was anxious to hear how he answered Ron's question.
Atkins' answer made me chuckle. He mumbled, "Well, sure, people get kidney stones." In one breath he mentioned that he'd never had anyone have any kidney issue, and in the next, "well sure, people get kidney stones."
Let me explain a bit about ketosis, a word Dr. Atkins presents as a wonderful thing, just to help you understand that this is not simply my opinion against his. This is medical science. Well documented medical science that offers irrefutable evidence that a no-carb or very low-carb diet can lead to some medical issues.
When you consume a healthful and supportive diet complete with proteins, carbs, and fats, the carbohydrates are broken down into glucose. Glucose is actually blood sugar. Some of that glucose is transported and stored in muscle tissue as "glycogen." This is sort of the fuel in your fuel tank. That's important to understand. Glycogen = Fuel.
Glycogen is used to produce energy that fuels muscle contraction. ALL muscle contraction! Don't think of muscle contraction only as exercise. Any movement requires the contraction of muscle, from blinking your eye to rising from bed in the morning. Without glycogen, you don't have any fuel in the fuel tank. As long as you're consuming carbs, you continue to re-fuel. You access and burn up stored glycogen, but quickly replace it with new muscle fuel. An understanding of that simple fact, that carbohydrates are the source of muscle fuel should raise an immediate red flag toward anything that suggests eliminating carbs. Once you understand the basic premise behind muscle glycogen, you should understand that the liver also plays a role in fuel storage.
Some of the carbs that you eat ultimately wind up stored as liver glycogen. Think of the liver as sort of a "pump" for blood sugar. The brain burns more calories than any other organ in your body, and guess what it uses as its primary source of fuel. Glucose! Carbohydrates! As the brain results in the "burning" of blood glucose, the liver accesses its glycogen stores to keep blood glucose in adequate supply. Again, as you expend glycogen, the carbs that you ingest replete your supply.
NO CARBS? AT FIRST YOU'LL DO FINE . . . BUT . . .
Atkins asks you to give up carbs. At first you're doing just fine because you have glycogen stored. After a day or two, you're using up your stored glycogen and you're not replacing it. Your body shortly thereafter begins producing ketone bodies. I mentioned Atkins' praise of a ketotic state already. Let's look a bit further into this condition.
Ketones are intermediaries in the process of metabolizing fat that are found in abnormal amounts in the blood and urine during periods of metabolic impairment. Give up all of your stored glycogen without replacing it and you're likely going to be in such a state (Note: if you take in too many protein calories, it is possible to avoid carbs and never enter a state of ketosis rendering his low-carb ketosis theories useless). Atkins leads you to believe that the presence of these ketone bodies indicates ongoing fat release. He also assures you that they feed the brain. That is partially true. Here are just a few of the issues he neglects to address:
[Karl Note: On the Primal Diet (Aajonus) or the "Karl Loren Diet" you DO eat carbohydrates, including honey, and you do NOT attempt to reach the state of ketosis.]
1. Extended periods of ketosis affect the chemical composition of the blood in such a way that you increase risk of cardiac incident (blood ketoacidosis).
2. In a state of ketoacidosis, carbon dioxide accumulates in the tissues. Oxygen delivery to the cells is impaired. This can lead to a wide range of disastrous consequences ranging from respiratory ailments to metabolic illness.
3. Toxic ammonia buildup resulting from severe cases of ketoacidosis can be lethal.
I believe Atkins neglects to share that information with readers. He also neglects to tell you that the liver is called into play to "filter" the abnormal chemicals building up in the blood. This leads to a residual buildup of uric acid. Interestingly, this uric acid accumulation can lead to . . . formation of kidney stones!
Kidney stones may be common among low carb dieters, but don't mistake that for an indication that they're normal! If all is working optimally, uric acid levels stay quite manageable, the kidneys continue to function normally, and you will likely never have stones accumulating in your urinary tract. (Ouch again! It hurts just thinking about it!)
BUT DON'T YOU LOSE WEIGHT?
It used to boggle my mind to watch people suffer as they attempt to lose weight. By depriving themselves of carbs and/or calories, they wind up lightheaded, spaced out, uncomfortable, irritable, and all around miserable . . .but when they get on the scale, there's a moment of emotional ecstasy! They're losing weight! Notice I said it "used to" boggle my mind. It doesn't any longer because suffering through fraudulent and potentially harmful weight loss alternatives has almost become more the rule than the exception, and I don't blame those who are victims. I blame an industry that thrives on fraud and deception. Most of the "victims" don't realize there is an alternative, one that truly works, and in the absence of that realization, they're primed to be suckered in by the "Diet Du Jour."
It's important to understand why you lose weight on the Atkins diet, and why the initial weight loss can be substantial. When I had the opportunity to confront Atkins, I asked if he agrees that calorie deprivation leads to metabolic slowdown. "Absolutely." I then expressed my concern that his diet book encourages people to judge their progress by their pounds on the scale rather than body composition. If muscle is lost, metabolism slows, yet the scale would indicate weight reduction. Isn't this the major problem with the conventional calorie deprivation diets? Isn't his diet simply another outgrowth of a metabolism destroying plague of non-solutions categorized as "Diets?" If "Diets Don't Work," why is Dr. Atkins selling you a Diet?
I then asked the question, "isn't it true that the initial weight lost on your diet will be primarily water loss, temporary and meaningless in hope of long term weight reduction?"
Atkins started to deny it. I continued, "Well, I'm not a doctor, so I hope you'll correct me if I'm wrong. I was led to believe that one gram of glycogen attracts 2.4 grams of water, thus if you hold less glycogen in muscle due to carb restriction, it's a given there will be substantial water loss." Again I asked, "So isn't the initial weight loss primarily water loss?"
He started to grow irritated and mumbled a bit, but I heard the words come out, "well, yeah, maybe the initial weight loss."
[Karl Note: Indeed, as I researched my own diet, initially largely based on that of Aajonus Vonderplanitz, I desperately wanted to lose weight. I have since learned that this is the wrong goal -- that detoxification of the body from earlier habits of eating cooked foods is the first and most important goal!]
Right there I hope listeners were able to read between the lines. Increased incidence of kidney stones indicated an abnormal chemical composition of the blood. Rapid water loss is a trick leading people to believe they're losing weight permanently when in reality it's anything but permanent weight loss.
I asked Dr. Atkins if he has ever attempted to have people eat a balance of proteins, carbs, and fats, while eliminating simple sugars and refined flours, in conjunction with a structured exercise program. He said he hadn't and indicated that there wasn't any need for this since his diet is so revolutionary. But, he added, he does encourage people to exercise in his new book. Sure he does. In fact, out of the entire book, one paragraph . . . ONE FRIGGIN PARAGRAPH(!) . . . mentions that people should do resistance training. And . . .that's his new book! The old book . . . the best-seller . . . the diet book that so many Americans are following, makes virtually no mention of exercise! He offers exercise in his "new" book only as a vehicle to resisting the diseases of aging. He makes no mention of lean body mass and its link to metabolism.
[Karl Note: As I continued to research my diet concepts I decided (without any guidance from anyone) to GET BACK to an exercise regime that I had neglected for many months -- I have hardly missed a single day since the beginning of that research in September 2000, and exercise every day now! I do include "resistance" training, and I look forward to getting into more vigorous exercise soon!
My excuse for not jogging? Hey! I'm 69 and I approach this stuff conservatively!]
My next question, one I never got to ask, is, how can he condemn something if he's never tried it? How can he claim that there isn't any need for a supportive program of nutrition (including supportive carbs) and exercise if he has no history in applying this technology?
Remember for a moment the fact that in his new book he encourages everyone to exercise. He told me that. On the air. OK. I left it at that for a moment and then told him what I've seen with Atkins dieters in their post diet conditions. Residual Weight Gain greater than the weight lost during the diet. INCREASED (not decreased as he claims) LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. I could've kept going but he cut me off telling me he's personally had over 25,000 people through his clinic and they all lost weight!
25,000! I've heard him make claims of 65,000! Here's my question! Where are they? If he has armies of people who have achieved better metabolisms, better health, long term weight loss, and lowered cholesterol levels, why can't I find even a single reference in any peer reviewed medical literature. I'm not asking for an overwhelming abundance of evidence. I'm asking for one case study! Just one! I couldn't find it!
I brought up exercise again but by now he was in a bit of a huff, throwing defensive jabs at me. He blurted out . . ."The people that I work with can't exercise! They're too sick!" Hmmm. So in his new book he says everyone should exercise . . . but out of 25,000 (or was it 65,000), not a single one was able to embark on an exercise program? I'm not a doctor, yet I've personally worked with and facilitated improvement in individuals with eating disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, recurring incidence of stroke, diabetes, heart disease, total hip replacements, MS, and the list goes on, and in every case, without exception, I had these people eating . . . including carbs . . . and exercising. It's amazing to me that this medical doctor claims that he couldn't get a single person involved in exercise . . . a single person out of over 25,000! The comment was especially striking after he made the comment that he encourages everyone to exercise!
He continually contradicts himself, yet the lure of "quick weight loss" continues to suck people into Atkins double-talk nonsensical promotion of a diet that will leave people in a great many cases far worse off than they were when they first purchased his book.
EAT ANYTHING?
Let's take a look at another of Atkin's premises, one that suggests you can eat anything you want as long as you avoid carbs. He OK's the consistent ingestion of red meat, of bacon, of butter, and other saturated fats. I can do a complete article on this topic alone, but I'm going to bypass it since saturated fat has been so conclusively linked to coronary artery disease, it doesn't even merit discussion here.
[Well, here I strongly disagree with this author. I have written my OWN book on the lies about fat as a source of cholesterol in the blood, and lies about cholesterol as a cause of heart disease. So, for years I have advocated eating butter. But, NOW I understand that it must be RAW butter, not processed to damage the fat. So, he is correct within the scope of his knowledge -- but if he were to look at eating ONLY raw fat I would hope he would change his position.
Meat, too, eaten raw, is a far different deal than eating cooked meat. See the comment on this from Aajonus at the top of the page.]
I have, as I mentioned, met with great numbers of Atkins dieters, and I've found some very consistent data in understanding their adherence to the diet. They all cut out simple sugars and refined and processed flours. That's good! I encourage people to do that as it will help stabilize blood sugar and facilitate fat release . . . providing that some other aspects of nutrition are in place (not ketosis) and providing that they are involved in a supportive exercise program. Another interesting thing I found, when analyzing their food intake, is although they are told by Atkins they don't have to cut calories, in each and every case, I mean without exception . . . they are eating fewer calories than they were before the diet!
[Karl Note: Here is another difference! My diet does NOT restrict calories at all!]
Here's why. Firstly, while butter and cream cheese and sour cream are permitted, you're not allowed to eat potatoes or bread. What in the world will you put the butter, cream cheese, and sour cream on? Most people on Atkins' plan have bacon and eggs for breakfast, but they stop eating the cereal. For lunch they have a cheeseburger sans the bun. Bread, cakes, pastries, and other carb foods are very calorie dense. Most Americans are filling their mouths with high carb foods, thus if you eliminate carbs, you're eliminating MOST of their caloric intake. A steak, although it is higher in fat than many carb foods, is also more water dense, thus, when you take out the carb foods, it becomes quite challenging to keep caloric intake high! It's also meaningful to note that a diet composed primarily of protein and fat will decrease appetite by two separate mechanisms. By eliminating erratic sugar intake you stabilize blood sugar minimizing sugar-induced food cravings, and by stimulating certain amino-acids to cross the blood-brain barrier in greater amounts, you develop a greater sense of satiety. That means that not only are you taking in fewer calories, but your desire for food is decreasing leading to a continual drop of caloric consumption. That is precisely the type of calorie restrictive diet Atkins claims has failed America!
Dr. Atkins openly agreed with me that calorie deprivation slows metabolism, yet . . . he has almost everyone embarking on a calorie restrictive diet cleverly disguised as something else. Will people lose weight? Of course! It's already clear that they'll lose substantial water weight. That can account for 4-10 pounds in the very first week!
Let's look at what happens after the water loss. Remember, glucose (stored as glycogen) is the preferred source of fuel for muscle contraction. In a state of calorie deprivation combined with the absence of that preferred fuel source the body finds a way of creating its own glucose, the blood sugar that it's lacking. It can manufacture blood sugar from amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and there are three of them, known as the Branched Chain Amino Acids, leucine, valine, and isoleucine, that can be simply converted into glucose. You can get these amino acids by breaking apart complete proteins and simply metabolizing the other amino acids or dismissing them from your body as waste.
If I've confused you, I want to un-confuse you. I want you to understand this. Let me make it a bit simpler. No carbs come in. Your body wants glucose so it makes its own. It uses amino acids as the raw material. To get those amino acids, it must break down either dietary protein . . . or muscle tissue!
If you are taking in enough protein for muscle synthesis, enough protein that would normally allow you to build new healthy cells, in a state of carb depletion you'll likely sacrifice some of those proteins to manufacture glucose. That gives you intake of protein below that which you need to maintain lean body mass so muscle breaks down and is not repaired. Once you've exhausted your dietary protein supply, your body goes somewhere else to find amino acids. It breaks down more muscle tissue! Since muscle is the site where fat is burned, that cripples your fat burning ability. Since muscle, as opposed to fat, is tissue that actually burns calories, this process slows metabolism. This combination of factors guarantees that when you go off of the no-carb diet, and you will . . . you must . . . your body craves carbs for survival, you'll wind up gaining back all of the weight you lost plus additional fat.
[Karl Note: I don't disagree with this -- and believe that my diet stays within this set of factors.]
BUT . . . WE'RE ALL CARB SENSITIVE?!?!?
Atkins throws the term "carb sensitivity" around and claims that all Americans due to their unsupportive eating habits, have developed a case of this mysterious ailment. He therefore recommends that you throw away carbs. Interestingly, when your body is in a state of glycogen depletion, it begins creating little enzymes, literally hunting for carbs. Some chemical and metabolic changes take place leading to greater carb sensitivity than ever! A friend and associate, one of the individuals I most respect in this field, Keith Klein, a nutritionist based out of Houston, Texas, has found, as I have, an unquestionable increase in carb sensitivity among "Atkins victims."
In working with individuals who do have some challenges with even moderate carb intake, I've found it far better to gradually shift carb intake from unsupportive simple sugars and refined flours to the more supportive carbs in meals complete with proteins, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids. It is then possible to slowly get a carb sensitive individual to gradually tolerate and optimize ingestion of potatoes, whole grains, and vegetables. It takes time, but in a great majority of cases I've used this method to bring about consistent improvement in metabolism and body composition (fat loss). Healthfully. Throwing carbs out completely only adds to the problem.
It appears, based on clinical research, that 10-25% of Americans do have some level of insulin resistance (carb sensitivity). Conclusive research has clearly shown that improvements in body composition (lean body mass vs. fat) and regular exercise are far more important in offsetting the challenges of insulin resistance than cutting back carbs.
Atkins lumps all carbs together as "the enemy." There's no question that a gradual American shift to pretzels, Snackwell cookies, and processed bagel breakfasts has led to impaired carbohydrate metabolism in some individuals, but there's no reason to throw the baby out with the bath water. Carbohydrates are a nutrient, and nutrient, by definition, means "something your body needs to ingest to sustain life." There's obviously a flaw with any program that asks people on a massive scale to eliminate intake of a vital nutrient. With a true understanding of the differences between complex carbs and simple sugars, it becomes possible to eliminate the culprits (simple and refined sugars) and reacquaint carb sensitive individuals with supportive metabolism of high qualify valuable complex carbs (along with protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, and an optimal supply of water).
BUT . . . WON'T THIS LOW CARB PLAN HELP MY METABOLISM?
I'm amazed that so many people buy into the claim that these low-carb or no-carb diets will stimulate metabolism when I can't find a shred of evidence that lends itself toward that direction. In fact, in the absence of carbs and necessary calories, not only do you run the risk of slowing metabolism through muscle loss, but the thyroid gland also performs a neat little trick. It alters its production of the hormones T3 and T4, hormones instrumental in regulating body heat, to "protect" the body from starvation. This results in a further slowdown of metabolism and can lead to long term thyroid challenges.
I believe, since there isn't any disagreement that exercise is going to be a definite positive factor in fat reduction, fitness, health, and alleviation of disease risks, and since glycogen is fuel for muscle contraction, it's more than obvious that exercisers need ample supplies of glycogen, that fuel obtained from carbohydrates. It's important to protect metabolism so the body learns to efficiently utilize carbs as fuel, proteins for cell repair and maintenance, and essential fats for their inherent biological value as components of cells.
I can keep going. I won't. I believe by now you should have some clarity on the truth behind the Protein Diets. More than ever, people need to be educated, and I'll continue to commit my programs to delivering the fitness truth. I want to emphasize that I do not have a personal vendetta against Dr. Atkins as a person, and it's quite possible that he believes his own propaganda. If he truly is a professional, I would simply encourage him to recognize the risks, open his eyes to those who are experiencing health issues resulting from his diet, and attempt to refine his approach into one better founded in science.
I will also continue to endorse those who share in delivering truth and I will continually strive to unite the ground army of unrecognized fitness professionals that can be so powerful in finally helping America get fit once and for all.
I welcome your responses and feedback to this article.
Phil Kaplan
A Final Note: Dr. Atkins has an open invitation to visit with me on my radio show to dispute any of the information I've offered. The door is always open.
A Final, Final note:
If you are concerned that the information I've provided is based solely on my opinion, I assure you I've spent years researching this. Here are some references. Throughout those years I've continued to search for legitimate research backing up anything the no-carb Protein sellers profess and I haven't been able to find it. The only legitimate medical references I've found to no-carb dieting were in cases of using a Ketogenic Diet to reduce seizures in cases of brain malformations or epilepsy, and I should note that in those cases there was often fat accumulation and a concern for elevating blood cholesterol levels:
1. Entering a high Protein twilight zone. Tufts University Diet & Nutrition Letter 1996; 14(3):4-6
2. Coyle, EP, Fat metabolism during exercise. Sports Sci Exch 1995; 8(6):1-6
3. Coyle, EP, Coggan, AR, Hemmert WK, et al: Muscle glycogen utililization during prolonged strenuous exercise when fed carbohydrate. J Appl Physiol 1986; 61(1): 165-172
4. Is pasta now on the 'out' list too? Tufts University Diet & Nutrition Letter 1995; 13(3):4-6
5. Coleman, Ellen, RD, MA, MPH, Carbohydrate Unloading, The Physician and Sports Medicine. 1997, 25(2):97-98
6. Low Carbohydrate, high-protein diet: the way to lose weight? University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter, December 1992
7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Health Examination Statistics. 1996.
8. Golay A; Allis AF; Morel Y; de tonic N; Tankova S; Reaven G. Similar weight loss with low or hig-carbohydrate diets. Am J Clin Nutr, 1996; 63(2):174-178
9. Position Statement of the American Dietetic Association: Weight Management
10. Weintraub M, Long term weight control study: conclusions. Clin Pharm Ther. 1992; 51:642-646
That's only a tiny sampling of the research material I've amassed on the topic. I have also studied hundreds of relevant articles published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, International Journal of Obesity, Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, etc. I've still yet to find a single article that supports Atkins.
I've also referenced materials from and/or conversations with many health and fitness professionals ranging from educators to nutritionists. Here's a sampling of individuals I've learned from recently in relation to the topic of Low-Carb dieting:
Megan McCrory, Ph.D., Energy Metabolism Lab researcher, Tufts University
Dr. James J. Kenny, Ph.D., RD, Nutritionist at the Pritikin Longevity Center in Santa Monica, California and Vice-President of the National Council Against Health Fraud.
Ellen Coleman, RD
Tim Patton, RD, Florida International University
Keith Klein, nutritionist, researcher, consumer activitist, Klein's Eating Management Clinic, Houston Texas
Dr. Nancy Wellman, Florida International University
Jim Wright, PhD, Science Editor, Weider Publications
Jeff Feliciano, researcher, Weider Nutrition
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