Guest guest Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 extended lifespan) and the logic behind it. Dr. Atkins most likely died of a massive stroke at a weight of 270 pounds. So I find it difficult to have much confidence in anything he ever recommended about diet. [/endquote] Rodney, if nothing else, please stop spreading this " most likely " false allegation about Dr. Atkins conditions at death. His end weight gain was hospital induced edema - that is at least one point long ago divulged: http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-02-10-atkins_x.htm Did a heart attack and/or stroke cause him to slip and fall in the first place? I don't know. If the answer is yes, it does not undo the valuable contribution that he made to advancing our knowledge of how diet interacts with our bodies, including and especially his work at attempting to expose the corruption and lobbying between the grain industry, the physicians, and the government. Sorry for the soapbox, but I often find myself reminding skeptics that Atkins long ago recommended tons of veggies with that animal protein far in advance of our insatiable craving for " low carb " food substitutes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/_Atkins_%28nutritionist%29 Jim Fixx started life with a heart condition and it killed him, but he probably lived longer than he would have without exercising. The same goes for Dr. Atkins - he knew he had cardio risk factors - and that seems to be a perfectly logical reason to be interested in finding potential solutions for yourself and others as well. , in ABQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Hi : Thanks for your contribution on this topic. All we here are interested in, hopefully, is THE TRUTH of this matter. Whatever that truth is. However, what must be clear to almost all of us is that those who have been most responsible for obscuring the truth is THE FAMILY OF DR. ATKINS who, as I understand it (as usual I welcome correction) have refused to permit the details surrounding the circumstances of his death to be released, except in dribs and drabs of information that, as I see it, they felt might be spun in a way to exonerate his diet as a cause. Now surely, had the cause of death reflected well on the Atkins diet (i.e. had it not been a cause long associated by scientific evidence with diets high in animal fats) they would have been pleased to release it immediately, wouldn't they? Is it not obvious to you that the reason for their obfuscation was/is that they knew if the results were made public it would probably destroy the enormously profitable business Atkins had built up around his dietary recommendations? So, when you talk about people making unfair profits because of nefarious tactics (you mention the grain industry) do you consider the Atkins Diet Empire - and it was once hugely profitable I believe - exempt from similar criticism? And if you do consider it exempt, would you care to explain why, please? It seems to me the only conclusion that can be rationally drawn from the inadequate evidence I am aware of is that the Atkins family suppressed information because of the damage they were afraid it might do to the Atkins finacial empire if it was released. But I would be very happy to change that opinion if they were to reverse their position and release all the available information about his health immediately before death, the cause of death and any autopsy results regarding extent of atherosclerosis - especially carotid atherosclerosis. Since this group was formed by Francesca many years ago, the science that links heart disease with the ingestion of certain types of fats has been endlessly discussed. If you have reason to believe this science is wrong or severely flawed, please let us all know why. There is a simple way to do that, which would certainly be very acceptable here. Post references to the peer-reviewed studies published in serious scientific journals - preferably with PubMed ID numbers so that we can check them out - which show that people on a high animal fat, high animal protein diet are healthier and/or live longer than those on other types of diets. If that were done we could then at least have a two-sided conversation. I recall making such a suggestion here in a previous similar discussion - perhaps five years ago - but there was no response of the type (science-based evidence) this site requires to support claims made. Evidence of a similar kind in animals whose response to ingestion of high animal fat/high animal protein diets is similar to that in humans would also be acceptable. As for Dr Atkins cardio risk factors, I am not at all surprised, assuming he was actually consuming the diet he recommended. Rodney. > > > > extended lifespan) and the logic behind it. Dr. Atkins most likely died of a massive stroke at a weight of 270 pounds. So I find it difficult to have much confidence in anything he ever recommended about diet. > > [/endquote] > > Rodney, if nothing else, please stop spreading this " most likely " false allegation about Dr. Atkins conditions at death. > > His end weight gain was hospital induced edema - that is at least one point long ago divulged: > http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-02-10-atkins_x.htm > > Did a heart attack and/or stroke cause him to slip and fall in the first place? I don't know. If the answer is yes, it does not undo the valuable contribution that he made to advancing our knowledge of how diet interacts with our bodies, including and especially his work at attempting to expose the corruption and lobbying between the grain industry, the physicians, and the government. > > Sorry for the soapbox, but I often find myself reminding skeptics that Atkins long ago recommended tons of veggies with that animal protein far in advance of our insatiable craving for " low carb " food substitutes. > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/_Atkins_%28nutritionist%29 > > Jim Fixx started life with a heart condition and it killed him, but he probably lived longer than he would have without exercising. The same goes for Dr. Atkins - he knew he had cardio risk factors - and that seems to be a perfectly logical reason to be interested in finding potential solutions for yourself and others as well. > > , in ABQ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Thanks for the followup, Rodney. My statements about how Atkins 'uncovered' some of the corruption that was going on may have been overblown. And certainly I can understand that his family, of course, has reason to protect the legacy and profits that had been established. It still sounds like there probably won't be easy to find proof of what Atkins' physical condition was both in the months before his accident and even after, but part of my point is that it doesn't necessarily matter. He *helped* to break the tenacious grip on the American public to their fat-free food substitutes, and I do not see that as a bad thing. I have (or had) a copy of his 1974 book and yes he did say eat bacon and whatnot, but on top of non-starchy veggies as the foundation. You mention that much later editions got this message back, but it seems like they lost their way in the 80's and 90's with all of the low-carb junk out there. Perhaps when I have qualified myself as a researcher or expert I can come back and speak to the questions you raised. In the meantime, all I can say is: Atkins wasn't evil, and his diet wasn't the worst thing you can tell someone to eat. > > Hi : > > Thanks for your contribution on this topic. All we here are interested in, hopefully, is THE TRUTH of this matter. Whatever that truth is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.