Protein paradise: how safe is the Atkins diet?

So many stars are fans of the Atkins diet that the regime seems to have acquired celebrity status itself. But with conflicting reports over its safety, should you really follow it?

Could the Atkins diet tip the scales in your favour?

Dr Robert Atkins first published his controversial diet in 1972, followed by the Dr Atkins’ New Diet Revolution in 1992. Collectively, these books have sold 16 million copies worldwide.
The books say you can lose weight while ‘eating luxuriously’ and feeling ‘completely satisfied’. It also says you’ll never become fat again.
Couple these claims with a menu that consists of foods such as cheese, steak, butter, bacon and burgers, and it’s easy to see why the books are bestsellers.

How it works

The Atkins diet is effectively high in protein and fat. But how can a programme based on ‘bad’ foods help us lose weight? The answer lies in the fact that the diet prohibits nearly all carbohydrates – the fuel that gives the body energy.
Amanda Wynne, national public relations officer for the British Dietetic Association, explains: ‘Initially you use up all your body’s carbohydrate stores, which are called glycogen. But once you cut out carbohydrates, your body goes into an abnormal state called ketosis. This is where you’re burning up fats instead of carbohydrates.’
Because the body is deprived of carbohydrates, it finds other substances it can use as fuel, which in this case is fat, and consequently you lose weight.
The Atkins diet is meant to be followed for life. Dieters are advised to cut out all carbohydrate for the first two weeks before moving on to the second section, where a few carbohydrates are reintroduced. After reaching their target weight, dieters are then told how to maintain the diet.

Diet trial

But is it effective? A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that not only can you dine on burgers and bacon and lose weight, but you do so more effectively than if you were following an average low-fat diet.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, US, enrolled 63 obese men and women in a study to test the diet’s effectiveness. Half the participants followed the Atkins diet for a year, while the rest were asked to stick to a low-fat regime.
The researchers discovered that during the first six months, those on the Atkins diet lost twice as much weight (21.2lb) as those on the low-fat regime (11.5lb). However, after a year, weight loss in the Atkins group had slowed down significantly.

A surprise finding

The researchers also found that participants following the Atkins diet experienced an increase in high-density lipoproteins (HDL), or ‘good’ cholesterol – a surprise finding, according to Amanda.
‘You would expect a high-fat diet and particularly a diet that’s high in saturated fat to increase cholesterol levels,’ she says.
So could you do yourself a favour by ditching the carbohydrates?

The downside

Despite the study’s findings, Amanda says it isn’t time to send potatoes packing. ‘I don’t think we can draw any conclusions from this study,’ she says.
‘The study was only on a fairly small number of people. What was interesting was that although the Atkins people did lose a little bit more weight initially, it actually levelled off in the longer-term, and that’s what we’d expect.’
A number of health complications also surround the diet. Amanda says: ‘There are concerns that one of the side effects could be kidney problems. It’s not likely for most people, especially if they are doing it on a short-term basis, but it is a concern that’s been highlighted.’
One unattractive feature is that the diet can also cause bad breath. This is a result of ketosis – the state the body goes into during starvation.
‘Ketosis has a number of side effects that can make you feel a bit nauseous, it can make your breath smell, and a lot of that is why people don’t have such a big appetite as they get further into the diet,’ says Amanda.
And because it requires a commitment for life, a lot of people just find it too hard to stick to. Weight gain after coming off the diet also appears to be a problem for some.

A dieter’s experience

Julia Dubber from Berkshire followed the Atkins diet for nine weeks and succeeded in losing a stone.
However, after coming off the diet, she found the pounds quickly piled back on. ‘Not only did I gain weight, I put weight on and then some,’ she says.
Julia found the cost of the diet quite prohibitive. It also took a lot of planning – she felt she had to plan days in advance what food she’d need in her fridge.
Julia suffered with bad breath, and the rigidity of the diet was hard work. ‘If you go off the tracks for one day, it can take you sometimes three or four days to get back on track.’
Julia admits the diet was probably bad for her. ‘You don’t eat any fruit and veg - well, you’re allowed a nominal amount of lettuce. But I didn’t go to my GP while I was on the diet, because I knew he wouldn’t approve.’

The verdict

Despite the diet's drawbacks, Julia says she would recommend it to her friends - but only as a means to lose weight quickly. ‘I’d strongly advise them against the downsides, too.’
Amanda from the British Dietetic Association says the diet has too many downsides for her to recommend it. She says it only presents a ‘quick-fix solution’.
‘The Atkins diet is unhealthy because it focuses very much on fat and protein, and cuts out your healthy wholegrain foods. You are also not having a lot of fruit and vegetables, and those are foods that are important for your health.’
For those still tempted by the Atkins diet, Amanda says you are better off spending your time and money following a diet recommended by a state-registered dietician, who ‘give sensible advice’.

Further information

British Dietetic Association: www.bda.uk.com
British Nutrition Foundation: www.nutrition.org.uk

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