In summary, my research concluded that the Atkins Diet is no more effective than low fat, low calorie diets and has a higher potential for health risks.

Some of the most informative websites I found were:

QuackWatch.org

TheDietChannel.com

Web MD Health

The Atkins Diet Fad

           Because I work in a restaurant, I stay pretty attuned to the “trendy” diets people try. Lately, everyone seems to be on the Atkins Diet. People constantly order huge steaks with no potato, or bacon-cheese burgers with no bun. To me, cutting out all carbohydrates, including bread, cereal, potatoes, rice and even fruit, and replacing them with meat, cheese, and other fatty foods does not seem like a healthy way to lose weight. So I decided to do a little research of my own to see what different doctors and nutrition specialists had to say about the new trend of low-carbohydrate diets and whether people on the diet are putting themselves at risk.
          The major barrier I came up against in my research was that fact that the Atkins Diet is so new that it is hard for researchers to say what the long-term effects of the diet may be. Many have a hard time disputing the claims of Dr. Atkins. I still managed to find pretty substantial evidence that there are healthier ways to lose weight than the Atkins Diet.
          Dr. Dena M Bravata and a group of other medical professionals analyzed 107 low-carbohydrate diet studies only to find that there is insufficient evidence to show that these diets actually work. What they did find was that the reduced caloric intake caused by the diet caused weight-loss, but high-carbohydrate diets showed the same results (Bravada 1847). Many doctors have come to similar conclusions that although the Atkins Diet tends to show more immediate results, after a longer period of time the diet is no more effective than other types of dieting, which generally have less health risks than the Atkins Diet.
          Robert Eckel of the University of Colorado’s Center for Human Nutrition in Denver doubts the health benefits of low-carbohydrate diets because they exclude foods that have already been determined as healthy, such as fruits, whole grains, and vegetables (Butler 253). The Atkins Diet instructs people to eat as much meat, cheese, butter, etc. as they please, and although it is still possible to lose weight while eating these foods, it is less likely that the weight will stay off, and it excludes vital vitamins and minerals from the diet that are typically obtained from fruits and grains.
          According to a 2002 article in the Good Medicine journal, low-carbohydrate diets can cause colorectal cancer, heart disease, impaired kidney function, osteoporosis, and complications of diabetes (Barnard 13). The old-fashioned ways of dieting— low-fat, low-calorie, high-carbohydrate diets, do not prove to have any of these sorts of health risks.
          Dr. Kathy Goodwin points out that the Atkins Diet was first introduced in the 1970s, and if the people who started the diet then were continuing to keep the weight off now, it would be all over the news (Goodwin). We haven’t heard about it because everyone who tried it then has since gained back the weight.
I think this information is important because people of all ages, including many people that I know, are trying to lose weight using the Atkins Diet. These people are basing the efficacy of the diet on personal testimonies from other people and are not doing research on the diet before they start it. From my research, I have found that there are many health risks involved with the Atkins Diet and it is no more effective than other diets over time. I know many people that have been cutting carbohydrates that would probably be interested to know that although they are shedding pounds, they are putting their bodies at risk and should find an alternative way to lose weight.

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Annotated Bibliography

“Atkins Diet Dangers.” Good Medicine volume 4 (2001): 4.

Article reviews a study that showed that the Atkins Diet was ineffective. Also reviews a study of people who lost weight and kept it off, one percent being Atkins Diet followers. Concludes that previous dieting methods are safer.

Barnard, Neal D. “Health Risks of High-Protein Diets.” Good Medicine volume 11 (2002): 12-14.

Barnard explains the concept of high-protein diets and what they involve. He compares high-protein diets with other diets and concludes that the amount of weight loss is roughly equal, but that the health risks of high-protein diets are higher. He lists the possible health problems associated with high-protein diets as well as misunderstandings about dieting, which he attempts to correct.

Barrett, Stephen. “Low-Carbohydrate Diets.” Quackwatch.org. 29 July 2003. http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/lcd.html. Accessed 19 March 2004.

Website aims to clear up a variety of medical fallacies. This article explains the idea behind low-carbohydrate diets and reviews studies on the diets. It concludes that there is insufficient evidence to prove that low-carbohydrate diets are more effective than other diets.

Bravata, Dena M. et al. “Efficacy and Safety of Low-Carbohydrate Diets.” The Journal of the American Medical Association volume 289 (2003): 1837-1850.

A group of doctors collected previous studies about the effects of low-carbohydrate diets to see if there is sufficient evidence on the efficacy of these diets for doctors to recommend them to their patients. They concluded that there is not enough evidence specifically showing that a low-carbohydrate diet is effective towards weight-loss.

Butler, Declan. “Slim Pickings.” Nature volume 428 (2004): 252-254.

Butler examines the validity of assertions made by diet-promoters, such as Dr. Atkins of the Atkins Diet. He provides charts and data comparing several currently popular diets and discusses the lack of evidence proving the effectiveness of these diets.

Foster, Gary D. et al. “A Randomized Trial of a Low-Carbohydrate Diet for Obesity.” The New England Journal of Medicine volume 348 (2003): 2082-2090.

A group of doctors performed a study comparing the effects of low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diets as compared to low-calorie, high-carbohydrate, low-fat diets. They concluded that although the low-carbohydrate diet showed more immediate results, over a period of 12 months the efficacy of the two diets was roughly the same.

Goodwin, Kathy. “The Atkins Diet- A Comprehensive Analysis.” The Diet Channel.com. Copyright 1999-2002. http://www.thedietchannel.com/atkins.htm. Accessed 19 March 2004.

Website provides information and analysis of many different types of diets.
The information about the Atkins Diet is written by Kathy Goodwin, RD and explains exactly what happens to the body while on the Atkins Diet.

Grayson, Charlotte E. “The Atkins Diet- What the Experts Say.” Web MD Health. February 2004. Copyright 1996-2004, WebMD, Inc. http://my.webmd.com/content/pages/7/3220_136#4. Accessed 19 March 2004.

Website provides answers to a variety of medical inquiries. Atkins Diet section explains what the diet is, what can be eaten on the diet, how the diet works, and what the experts say. The information is backed by Charlotte E. Grayson, MD.

Kidd, Parris. “Inside the Atkins Diet.” Total Health volume 23 (2001): 51-53.

An interview between Parrish Kidd, PhD and Robert Atkins, MD. Atkins outlines his diet, how it works, and its health benefits. Article is very biased towards the benefits of the diet.

Swartzberg, John Edward, et al. “Eat Fat, Get Thin?” UC Berkley Wellness Letter. April 2000. Health Letter Associates, 2004. http://wellnessletter.com/html/wl/2000/wlFeatured0400.html. Accessed 19 March 2004.

Article describes the Atkins Diet and how it works. It explains that the diet can be effective for a few weeks, but past that the health risks become too great, and it is recommended to cease the diet past a few weeks.

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This page was last modified by Meredith Jenkins on 4/16/04 at 10:00 p.m.