Atkins
/ Low Carb Article, continued
(Part II of III Parts)
 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 . . .Dr. Atkins. He was visiting the studio
at 8 AM Eastern Time, the same time my Los Angeles clock read
5:00 AM.
 Dr.
Atkins immediate demeanor seemed guarded. I'm not surprised.
Since his information is controversial he's regularly faced
with criticism. 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 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.
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 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. I'm not suggesting that Dr. Atkins position
himself as an exercise aficianado, but the interplay between
activity and nutrition requires a bit of focus when fat loss
is a goal.
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 spend 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 Glen invited me to participate in the discussion. While
he welcomed some controversy, Glen was worried that I might
go on the attack. I probably could have. I had ammunition
ranging from questions regarding his Board Certification to
cases of wrongful death attributed to his diets. Still, I
had no intentions of attacking. I realize he is a businessman
and doctor, out there I have to believe with good intentions,
and as I mentioned, I do applaud much of the work he has done.
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 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 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."
He then went
on to explain the virtues of ketosis. In a moment I'll 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 carb
depleted 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 or cutting
back to extremely low levels of carb intake. 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.
Suggested
Next Page:
This article
is continued. Go to [Atkins Article
Continued - Part III]
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