It
all started when a doctor sparked on a topic within earshot of an
ardent low-carb blogger. The doctor, an associate professor, Dr David
Katz of Yale University was reported by Forbes to have claimed that the
Atkins diet had resulted to the hospitalization of one of his patients.
The blogger and also purveyor of low-carb diets Jimmy Moore of Livin La
Vida Low-Carb Blog felt his feathers ruffled by this claim.
Moore, author of the weight loss book with a similar title to his blog,
and the subtitle 'My Journey from Flabby Fat to Sensationally Skinny in
One Year' claims to be living proof that low-carbs work. He says he has
lost over 180 pound on a low-card diet in a year.
In his blog on he posted an article titled 'Health experts gang up on
Atkins Diet' where he criticized, first the media for a seemingly
regular "orchestrated negative splash against low-carb diets". The
article in contention was one appearing in Forbes titled "Atkins diet
not safe for everyone" where Dr. Katz was reported to have had a
patient that developed serious ketoacidosis which he linked to the
Atkins diet the unnamed patient was on.
Secondly, Moore turned on the doctors cited in the article starting
with Kartz. Moore went to the extent of calling the co-authored diet
book by Dr Katz Flavor Point Diet "one of the biggest fad diet books
you'll ever read". Disdainfully, but seemingly aggrieved, the good
doctor responded to the posting by email. Moore went on to dissect the
email in his blog.
Dr. David L. Katz is a clinical professor, division of Health Policy
and Administration, Epidemiology and Public Health of Yale University.
Even Moore, though sarcastically, thinks of him as a nutritional genius
with his string of titles.
Katz asserted that Moore has no academic ground to differ with him. And
on the doctor's bashing of the Atkins diet, Katz says he wasn't
starting on bashing the diet rather he's "been beating up on Atkins for
years, never wavered never will".
He further criticized the diet as lacking in fundamentals of healthful
eating and sustainable weight loss. Moore on the other hand defended it
on grounds that he's 180 pounds lighter.
Atkins diet is a low-carb ketogenic diet designed for weight loss using
significant changes in your dietary macro-nutrients. It recommends you
eat fat and more proteins to replace the highly restricted
carbohydrates. This is unconventional as carbohydrates are considered
to be the primary source of calories for the body. Often this drastic
change of dietary requirement is viewed with great suspicion. But the
underlying question and continued basis of feuds such as this is how do
we explain outstanding results by people like Jimmy Moore?
Lyn Steffan of the University of Minnesota school of Public Health was
reported in the contentious Forbes article as saying that low-carb
diets are not diets for life. She went on to recommend a healthy diet
that results to weight loss and that can be used for life. But the
question still remains unanswered. How do Moore and others who swear by
low-carbs mange to shed off pound of body fat, improve their
cholesterol and claim to be healthy.
Steffan seems to think it's not sustainable long-term. Then one wonders
what she thinks of the massai diet that is low-carb, high fat and high
protein like Atkins. Yet the East African massai, who are extremely
lean, have lived with the diet for centuries.
So would this comparison vindicate Atkins diet?
It is best to view weight loss in the environment in which it occurs. A
particular lifestyle is associated with obesity. Naturally, to deal
conclusively with the menace one has to deal with the environment in
which it occurs. Permanent weight loss is possible; it is also possible
that it can be achieved relatively fast, safely as well as healthy. But
this requires a holistic and long-term approach. Such a weight loss
plan should deal with most of the reasons that result to weight gain.
This
content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new information on weight loss becomes
available. The information is intended for
educational purposes only. Please
consult your healthcare provider before beginning
any kind of weight loss program
