*October 2004 issue of Dr. Greger's Newsletter*

[Guest guest]

**************************************

October 2004 issue of Dr. Michael Greger's Monthly

Newsletter

*******************************************************

 

 

CONTENTS

 

I. My Rebuttal to the Atkins Corporation

 

--------------------------

 

As you all know, the Atkins Corporation is threatening to sue me

for daring to speak out against the Atkins Diet on my website

http://www.AtkinsFacts.org. But I will not be intimidated; I will not

be bullied into silence by Atkins and their corporate lawyers.

 

Instead, I've posted their entire legal threat letter online for

all to see, accompanied by a point-by-point rebuttal, at

http://www.atkinsexposed.org/atkins/135/Corporate_Threat.htm (I am

transitioning the " AtkinsFacts.org " URL to

" AtkinsExposed.org " to keep the focus of any impending trial

on the dangers of their diet and not on so-called " trademark

dilution " issues).

 

Below I've reprinted the main threads of the back-and-forth with

the Atkins Corporation (their words are indented). The references are

up at http://www.atkinsexposed.org/

 

As you'll read, not only does the Atkins Corporation cherry-pick

studies that support them and ignore the rest (see accusation #1), and

even mis-cite articles that fail to support their conclusions,

sometimes they even cite studies that refute what they are saying!

(accusation #11, for example). They misinterpret, mislabel and

misrepresent studies (#15). They rely on outdated, unpublished

preliminary data (#10) and continue to disseminate false and

misleading statements (#10 and #11 and #12 and #14 and #15). Sometimes

it seems they just make stuff up (#8). Did they just assume no one

would ever check their references?

 

In next month's newsletter I will be back with all my regular

features. I know that people really seem to get a lot out of my

monthly reviews of the latest in nutrition, especially now that two

important veg newsletters have sadly stopped publishing--Loma Linda's

" Vegetarian Nutrition and Health Letter " and Jack Norris's

" Making Sense of Nutrition Research. " Fear not! I'll be back

with the latest next month.

 

I am not standing up to the Atkins Corporation alone. Thank you

so much to everyone who contributed to my Atkins Legal Fund to help me

in my fight to bring out the truth. I have found incredible attorneys

willing to work for free or at heavily discounted rates. Please

consider helping them so they can help me by contributing to the

Michael Greger Legal Fund by going to my homepage at

http://www.veganMD.org and clicking the Donate button at the bottom.

Or by sending a check to me at 781 North 25th St., Philadelphia, PA

19130. Thank you again so, so much.

 

*******************************************************

 

 

I. MY REBUTTAL TO THE ATKINS CORPORATION

 

-------------------------------

 

 

ACCUSATION #1:

AtkinsFacts.org Ignores " the overwhelming weight of the

evidence "

 

Re: Your Statements Concerning Atkins and

Use of Atkins Trademarks

 

Dear Dr. Greger:

 

This is on behalf of Atkins Nutritionals,

Inc. ( " Atkins " ) in regard to certain statements appearing on

your website located at www.AtkinsFacts.org...

 

As you are undoubtedly aware, your

position that the ANA [Atkins Nutritional Approach, i.e. the Atkins

Diet] presents serious health risks is at odds with the overwhelming

weight of the evidence.

 

There is, in fact, an overwhelming weight of evidence, but it

points to the opposite of what you're claiming. AtkinsFacts.org is

hardly alone in condemning the Atkins Diet out of fear for the

public's health. The American Cancer Society, the American Heart

Association, the American Dietetic Association and the American

Medical Association all have publicly come out against Atkins-like

diets and warned of serious potential health risks. Literally dozens

of medical and nutritional authorities have attempted to educate the

public about the very real dangers associated with diets like yours.

Their position statements are reprinted in full in my Expert Opinions

section at

http://www.atkinsexposed.org/atkins/22/Opinions.htm.

 

 

ATKINS CHERRY-PICKS AN " OVERWHELMING WEIGHT " OF 34

STUDIES

 

In fact, as documented on the Atkins

website... there are currently no fewer than thirty-four studies

demonstrating the weight loss and other health benefits -- and absence

of adverse health effects -- of a low-carbohydrate diet.

 

Thirty-four studies is your " overwhelming weight of

evidence " ? There are literally hundreds of published reports on

low-carbohydrate diets,[545] and you can only find 34 that support

your position?

 

There are also, for example, " no fewer than thirty-four

studies demonstrating weight-loss and other health benefits " of

CIGARETTE SMOKING.[546-579] There are also 34 studies showing benefits

from thalidomide.[580-613]

 

Just because the Philip Morris Corporation can wave around more than a

hundred[614] studies showing health benefits from smoking, this

doesn't mean that smoking is good for you. What it means is that one

can cherry-pick data to argue almost any position. This is a classic

tobacco corporation tactic.[615]

 

On your website one can indeed find a list of 34 studies

downplaying the risks of the Atkins Diet. But if you go to the website

of the Asbestos Institute you can find 34 studies downplaying the

risks of asbestos.[616] [continued at http://tinyurl.com/58b4x ]

 

 

ATKINS IGNORES THE BALANCE OF EVIDENCE

What counts is an objective review of all the available data to

find out what the balance of evidence shows. Stanford researchers did

just that last year, publishing " Efficacy and Safety of

Low-Carbohydrate Diets: A Systematic Review " in the Journal of

the American Medical Association.[622]

[continued at

http://tinyurl.com/4zhsp ]

 

-------------------------------

 

 

ACCUSATION #2:

AtkinsFacts.org Ignores the 34 Studies " Supporting

Atkins "

 

In fact, as documented on the Atkins

website... there are currently no fewer than thirty-four studies

demonstrating the weight loss and other health benefits -- and absence

of adverse health effects -- of a low-carbohydrate diet.

 

The " no less than some number of studies support the Atkins

Diet " line seems to be the Atkins corporate mantra.[629-632]

That's how you responded when the American Heart Association condemned

your diet.[633] That's how you responded you were sued for allegedly

lying to the public about the cardiac risks associated with your

diet.[634] That's how you responded to evidence that the Atkins Diet

may make women infertile.[635] That's how you responded to the recent

formation of a coalition of leading non-profit consumer, nutrition and

public health organizations formed to combat the " low-carb

hype. " [636]

 

In citing studies you claim support your diet,[637] you cast your

position as scientific, though no major governmental or nonprofit

medical, nutrition, or science-based organization in the world

agrees.[638]. A 2004 review in the Journal of the American College of

Cardiology concluded the Atkins Diet " runs counter to all the

current evidence-based dietary recommendations. " [641]

 

So even if there were 34 studies published in peer-reviewed

scientific journals supporting the Atkins Diet--just like the 34

studies showing that tobacco can be good for you in certain

circumstances--independent systematic reviews of the entirety of

scientific evidence support neither smoking nor the Atkins Diet for

one's health. Still, since these studies seem to be the basis of your

defense, let me to look at these studies in greater detail.

 

 

OVER A QUARTER OF THE " RESEARCH

STUDIES " ARE NOT EVEN PUBLISHED

First of all, 9 of the 34 cited studies " supporting

Atkins " [642] are not published studies at all,[643-652] but

merely abstracts (brief paragraph(s) written about an unpublished

study) presented at meetings, which in general, wrote an editor of the

New England Journal of Medicine, " must be presumed to be

unreliable sources of public information. " [653] This is another

tried and true tobacco industry strategy.[654]

[continued at

http://tinyurl.com/4248a ]

 

 

OTHERS WERE PUBLISHED IN A JOURNAL FOUNDED

BY AN ATKINS SPOKESMAN

The remaining studies were published in peer-reviewed journals.

Four of these " peer-reviewed " studies, however, were

published in a journal I had never heard of called " Metabolic

Syndrome and Related Disorders. " When I couldn't find it in

Harvard's medical library, which boasts 26,000 serial titles,[670] or

indeed anywhere in the medical mecca of Boston, I became

curious.

 

I called the publisher. I asked them if in fact a single medical

library in the country carried their journal. They confirmed that

Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. had an active subscription, but that the

only medical library that seemed to carry their journal, they said,

was one in Alabama.[671] I checked. They don't.[672]

 

In fact, the journal isn't even indexed by the U.S. National

Library of Medicine's Index Medicus[673] or any of the other major

medical databases, which contain over 12,000 titles.[674] I clearly

had more detective work to do. [continued

at http://tinyurl.com/3rrhz

]

 

 

MOST OF THE STUDIES WERE PUBLISHED BY

ATKINS-FUNDED RESEARCHERS

Most of the 34 cited articles were published by Atkins-funded

researchers--those given money by you directly or through the Dr.

Robert C. Atkins Foundation.[691-710] Another 6 of the studies did not

reveal the source of their funding.[711-716] (less than half of major

scientific and medical journals require disclosure of conflicts of

interest).[717]

 

As you know, the Atkins Foundation was started by Dr. Atkins and has

given millions of dollars to researchers[718] to, in the words of

co-founder Veronica Atkins, " prove Dr. Atkins

right. " [719]

 

Asbestos corporations fund, publish and cite studies that

downplay the risks of asbestos.[720] Chemical companies fund, publish

and cite studies that downplay the risks of their products.[721]

Tobacco corporations fund, publish and cite studies that downplay the

risks of tobacco.[722] It is not surprising that you, the

billion-dollar Atkins Corporation, fund, publish and cite studies that

downplay the risks of your product, the Atkins diet. [continued at

http://tinyurl.com/6ypo4 ]

 

 

ATKINS RESPONDS TO CRITICISM " WHO PAYS THE PIPER CALLS THE

TUNE "

You deny that your funding influences the results. " Speaking

of funding, " Dr. Atkins himself wrote, " the media jumped on

the fact that the Dr. Robert C. Atkins Foundation funded the study,

implying that the results were therefore suspect. Get real! Who do

they think is funding the vast majority of funding for drug research?

Pharmaceutical companies, of course. Does that mean that all research

on prescription drugs is equally suspect? " [745]

 

In choosing the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Atkins seems to have

picked the wrong business to exemplify lack of funding-source

influence. According to World Health Organization director Jonathan

Quick, " researchers who publish or communicate results unfriendly

to the [drug company] sponsors have faced intimidation, attempts to

discredit them professionally, and legal threats to recover 'lost

sales.' " [746] [continued at http://tinyurl.com/6ra89 ]

 

 

MOST OF THE " SUPPORTING " STUDIES

WERE INADEQUATELY CONTROLLED

One of the favorite ways drug manufacturers design studies to

skew results in favor of their product is to choose inappropriate

controls.[756] Just like a drug company might choose an inadequate

dosing of the comparison drug to artificially inflate the results of

their own product, many of the " supporting " studies of the

Atkins diet were compared to diets that were "low fat" in name

only, and yet the Atkins Diet STILL failed to outperform them

long-term. [continued at http://tinyurl.com/4rlpf ]

 

-------------------------------

 

 

ACCUSATION #3:

AtkinsFacts.org Relies on " Mere Opinions "

 

In the face of this substantial medical

evidence, most claims on your website constitute either exaggerated or

scientifically undemonstrated statements, mere opinions from medical

professionals or organizations...

 

" Mere opinions " from medical professionals or

organizations? This is exactly the tack the tobacco industry took.

When the American Cancer Society and others condemned smoking, the

tobacco corporations said that the smoking-lung cancer link was

" mere opinion. " [833] Now that the American Cancer Society

has similarly warned against low-carb diets, your response seems the

same. [continued at

http://tinyurl.com/5986w ]

 

-------------------------------

 

 

ACCUSATION #4:

AtkinsFacts.org of Relies on Outdated Critiques

 

Furthermore, by devoting a significant

portion of your critique to the first edition of Dr. Atkins' diet

book, published in 1972, you impart the misleading impression that

Atkins has not incorporated the numerous advances in medical and

nutritional research (such as the recognition of lipid subclasses as

risk factors for heart disease) that have since occurred.

 

First of all, most of the over 500 references I cite are from

2002 or later.[836] [continued at http://tinyurl.com/5akbe ]

 

-------------------------------

 

 

ACCUSATION #5:

AtkinsFacts.org Left Out " Crucial Information "

 

A number of objectionable statements

appear on the AtkinsFacts.org website regarding Atkins...

* The site contains numerous distortions

of information culled from cited sources. These distortions are

inaccurate and extremely irresponsible. For example, you refer to a

study that suggests that a quarter pound of beef raises insulin levels

in diabetics as much as a pound of straight sugar (page 6). However,

you fail to state whether this was in a controlled setting, where a

load of the food was given under fasting conditions, or in a mixed

diet setting. Leaving out this crucial information allows the data to

be misinterpreted and misused for the purpose of supporting your

argument.

 

That study did indeed find that a quarter pound of beef raises

insulin levels in diabetics as much as a pound of straight sugar. If

anything, the experimental details I omitted (study subjects served as

their own controls and the food challenges were given under fasting

conditions) just strengthens the argument against Atkins claims which,

as documented in the Faulty Science section of the website, one

leading obesity researcher described as " the most unutterable

nonsense I ever saw in my life. " [840]

 

-------------------------------

 

 

ACCUSATION #6:

AtkinsFacts.org Understates the Amount of Fiber in the Diet

 

* In another instance, you report that

the Induction Phase of the ANA [Atkins Diet] only provides two grams

of fiber a day (page 13). This number was not calculated by doing an

independent nutrient analysis based on the menus provided in Atkins'

New Diet Revolution, and although reference is made to the 1999

edition of the book, nowhere does the book mention that only two grams

of fiber are provided. In fact, the Induction Phase using just whole

foods would deliver approximately 18 grams of fiber per day. The

addition of one Advantage bar includes an additional 6-10 grams of

fiber per day.

 

Although your letter repeatedly accuses AtkinsFacts.org of making

false statements, you give almost no examples. The few examples you do

offer are wrong. This question of fiber content is no exception. [continued at

http://tinyurl.com/3pza4 ]

 

-------------------------------

 

 

ACCUSATION #7:

AtkinsFacts.org Purports Atkins Claims Supplements are

Necessary

 

* Cost of Supplements. The site mentions

the cost of vitamins and manufactured foods purportedly necessary to

be purchased from Atkins in order to adhere to the ANA [Atkins Diet]

(page 19). However, these products are recommended only to supplement

a variety of whole foods, including meats, cheeses, fruits,

vegetables, and whole grains. The ANA [Atkins Diet] guidelines meet

the federal minimum fruits and vegetables recommendations, including

in the Induction Phase.

 

In regards to your objection that AtkinsFacts.org describes

supplements as necessary on your diet, I refer you to the latest and

last edition of Dr. Atkins' book, a chapter entitled " Nutritional

Supplements: Don't Even Think of Getting Along Without

Them. " [850]

 

Also, as documented in the Malnutrition section of the website,

the Atkins Diet most certainly does not meet minimum federal

recommendations for fruits and vegetables according to an independent

peer-reviewed nutritional analysis published in the Journal of the

American College of Nutrition.[851]

 

-------------------------------

 

 

ACCUSATION #8:

AtkinsFacts.org Provides " Inaccurate

Interpretation "

 

* Comparisons to Other Nutritional

Approaches. At pages 7 and 15 of the site, you provide an inaccurate

interpretation of the data from Dansinger study comparing the ANA

[Atkins Diet], Weight Watchers, The Zone Diet, and the Ornish Diet,

leaving the impression that the largely vegetarian Ornish Diet is

superior to the ANA [Atkins Diet].

 

Of all the diets studied, the Ornish diet was the only one to

significantly lower the single most important cardiac risk factor

measured, LDL-cholesterol ( " bad cholesterol " ).[852] It was

the only one to significantly lower insulin levels, even though that's

what Atkins and The Zone diets were designed to do. Unlike the Atkins

Diet, the Ornish diet also significantly lowered inflammatory and

heart disease risk factor C-reactive protein, and improved a measure

of kidney function.[853] The Ornish diet also was the one in which

adherents lost the most weight.[854] [continued

at http://tinyurl.com/6smco

]

 

 

ATKINS GUILTY OF INACCURACY

That study actually showed a significant

reduction in the Framingham risk score in all diets except for the

Ornish Diet, and the average weight loss on the ANA [Atkins Diet] was

6.4% after one year.

 

This is incorrect. The average weight loss on the Atkins Diet was

3.9%, not 6.4%.[857] You may have been confusing the Atkins Diet with

Dean Ornish's low fat vegetarian diet that showed the greatest weight

loss. [continued at

http://tinyurl.com/4wm8q ]

 

-------------------------------

 

ACCUSATION #9 detailed at:

http://www.atkinsexposed.org/atkins/135/Corporate_Threat.htm

 

-------------------------------

 

ACCUSATION #10:

AtkinsFacts.org " Exaggerates " Side Effects

 

* Side Effects. You exaggerate the

potential side effects of the ANA [Atkins Diet] at pages 12 and 14 of

the website.

 

I quote directly from the medical literature--including from

studies directly funded by Atkins--documenting the extensive list of

pervasive side effects.

 

For example, Danish obesity expert professor Arne Astrup, M.D.,

of the Centre of Advanced Food Research in Copenhagen, published a

September 2004 review of your diet in The Lancet. [866] Long-term

Atkins adherents " start to suffer headaches, muscle cramps and

diarrhea, " Astrup concluded. " This is consistent with a

carbohydrate deficiency. They simply do not get enough carbohydrate to

supply the tissues with blood sugar. That is why the organs start to

malfunction. " [867]

 

For further documentation I refer you back to the extensive

studies cited in the sections Short Term Side-Effects and Long Term

Side Effects .

 

 

ATKINS IMPLIES THAT THEIR DIET IS NOT

EXTRAORDINARILY CONSTIPATING

Constipation can occur on any weight loss

program.

 

As documented in the Constipation section of the website, one

study funded by Atkins found that 70% of the patients on the Atkins

Diet suffered from constipation.[869] Dr. Atkins himself even admitted

that nearly all of his patients were constipated.[539] [continued at

http://tinyurl.com/3k2pa ]

 

 

ATKINS LEVELS ANOTHER FALSE ACCUSATION AT

ATKINSFACTS.ORG

* Contrary to your assertion, the ANA

[Atkins Diet] includes fiber-rich foods such as spinach, eggplant,

broccoli, asparagus and leafy greens.

 

I never assert that one can't eat foods such as leafy greens on

the Atkins Diet. In fact, I specifically congratulate Dr. Atkins for

recommending that exact thing in my Where Atkins Deserved Credit

section.

 

-------------------------------

 

 

ACCUSATION #11:

AtkinsFacts.org Engages in Selective Citation

 

* Cancer Risk. You selectively refer to

articles to support your claim that the ANA [Atkins Diet] can increase

the risk of cancer. Interestingly, this is something you accused Dr.

Atkins of doing at page 6 of your site. In fact, studies you omit from

your discussion contradict your conclusions.

 

The tobacco industry similarly accused former Surgeon General C.

Everett Koop of " selective reporting " when he argued that

smoking caused cancer.[871]

 

What does C. Everett Koop have to say about your diet?

" People need to wake up to the reality, " the former U.S.

Surgeon General C. Everett Koop wrote in December 2003, that the

Atkins Diet is " unhealthy and can be dangerous. " [872]

 

The American Cancer Society also condemns both the products of

the tobacco industry and the Atkins Corporation for their potential to

cause cancer. " A low-carb diet, " they write in their

official position paper, " can be a high-risk option when it comes

to health. " [873] [continued at http://tinyurl.com/48vuj ]

 

 

ATKINS CLAIMS THE ATKINS DIET COULD

_PREVENT_ COLON CANCER

You seem to disagree with the American Cancer Society's

assessment. Dr. Atkins was asked, for example, if " a lot of red

meat could cause colon cancer. " He replied that there was

" very little evidence to support the viewpoint. " [878] On

your official website, an Atkins co-author even states that " a

controlled carbohydrate eating plan could be a valuable way to help

prevent colorectal cancer. " [879]

 

Why then does the American Cancer Society say that

" consumption of meat--especially red meats--has been linked to

cancers at several sites, most notably colon and prostate " ?[880]

Is the American Cancer Society merely omitting studies that

" contradict " their conclusion?

[continued at

http://tinyurl.com/4r6nw ]

 

 

ATKINS CLAIMS THE ATKINS DIET COULD PREVENT

BREAST CANCER TOO

Your website also claims that " doing Atkins is the ideal

way " [888] to control breast cancer risk. " A controlled carb

way of eating almost automatically lowers your risk of breast

cancer. " [889] Eating over a half cup of lard's worth of saturated

fat[890,891] every day is an " ideal way " to prevent breast

cancer?

 

Your website claims " Saturated fat, the kind found in meat,

butter, cheese and other animal foods as well as tropical oils, hasn't

been shown to have any effect on your risk of breast cancer--whether

positive or negative. " [892] To support this surprising claim the

Atkins website cites an article published in 1997 which, upon review,

doesn't address the topic at all.[893]

[continued at

http://tinyurl.com/4fbzc ]

 

 

ATKINS IGNORES TRANS FATS IN THE ATKINS

DIET

Dr. Atkins was asked " Isn't the consumption of fat related

to cancer? " He replied " According to the multitude of

studies published, fat per se was not linked to cancer, with the

exception of trans fats, which are not included in the Atkins

Nutritional Approach. " [902] This is incorrect on two counts.

First of all, trans fats are not the only exception; saturated animal

fat has been linked to cancers of the breast,[903] prostate,[904]

endometrium,[905] lung,[906] and pancreas.[907] And second, trans fats

ARE included in such staples of the Atkins Diet as beef and

butter. [continued at http://tinyurl.com/3qfd3 ]

 

 

ATKINS WAS FIFTY YEARS BEHIND MEDICAL

SCIENCE

The Atkins Director of Education and Research is convinced that

" Researchers at Harvard and elsewhere have made it plain that

trans fatty acids have been a killer since the 1930s... " [918] Yet

the 1972 Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution recommended " unlimited "

quantities of vegetable shortening,[919] the single the most

concentrated source of trans fatty acids in the food

supply.[920] [continued at http://tinyurl.com/6tjfn ]

 

 

ATKINS " BEST EVIDENCE "

CONTRADICTS THEIR POSITION

" Does a high-fat diet cause breast cancer? " Your

website responds: " Just the opposite--the right kinds of dietary

fat may help prevent it. The best evidence for this comes from

Harvard's ongoing Nurses' Health Study. In 1992 this long-running

study of more than 100,000 women showed no connection between the

amount or type of dietary fat they ate and their risk of getting

breast cancer. "

 

I agree that the Harvard Nurses' Studies represent the best

evidence. It was, in fact, those very studies that showed in 2003 that

young women with the highest intake of red meat and butterfat had over

a 75% greater risk of developing breast cancer.[923] [continued at

http://tinyurl.com/5xjbp ]

 

 

ATKINS CLAIMS NO EXCESS PROTEIN-CANCER

LINK

Dr. Atkins was asked " What is the relationship between excessive

protein consumption and cancer? " He replied, " No one has

ever demonstrated a relationship between excessive protein consumption

and cancer.[927]

 

Once again, this is incorrect. Protein intake, particularly

animal protein intake, has been linked to brain tumors,[928] breast

cancer,[929] pancreatic cancer,[930] stomach cancer,[931] endometrial

cancer,[932] kidney cancer,[933] laryngeal cancer,[934] esophageal

cancer[935]--even lung cancer.[936] Excess animal protein has also

been deemed an " aggressive " risk factor for colon

cancer.[937]

 

 

ATKINS MISREPRESENTS DATA PRESENTED AT A

CONFERENCE

One of the questions addressed in the Frequently Asked Questions

section of your website is " Doesn't a high-fat diet increase

cancer risk? " In your answer, you argue that there is no link

between meat and colon cancer, and base your argument solely on

preliminary, unpublished data from a single investigation described at

a meeting that took place years ago.[938] Further, even that data was

misrepresented. [continued at http://tinyurl.com/5dbkb ]

 

-------------------------------

 

 

ACCUSATION #12:

AtkinsFact.org Makes " Unsupported " Arguments About Bone

Risk

 

* Bone Loss and Kidney Function. Your

arguments at page 21 that the ANA [Atkins Diet] can adversely affect

bones and kidney function are similarly unsupported. Urinary calcium

loss is not an inevitable result of a low-carbohydrate dietary

regimen.

 

This claim is similar to the one made in " Talking About

Atkins to Your Doctor, " a section of your website which explains

that " you may have to educate your health-care provider a bit

about exactly what's involved with Atkins. " If, for

example, a dieter's doctor is concerned that eating too much meat may

leach calcium from their bones, you recommend they tell their doctor

" This is another myth that has been disproved. " [957] Before

anyone confronts their doctor, though, they may want to know the whole

story. [continued at

http://tinyurl.com/5b9u5 ]

 

 

ATKINS IGNORES THE STUDIES THAT ACTUALLY

MEASURE FRACTURE RISK

Although some short-term studies reveal a

net urinary calcium loss, long-term studies directly examining bone

loss via DEXA scan (a superior indicator of bone health relative to

urinary calcium) reveal no bone loss.

 

It is evident that you focus on indicators rather than endpoints.

Your website, for example, discusses cardiac risk factors while

failing to reference the one study that actually measured blood flow

in the hearts of Atkins dieters--and showed a significant worsening of

their heart disease. Although DEXA scans may be superior to urinary

calcium measurements, arguably the best indicator would be assessing

the risk of actually suffering a bone fracture. The Harvard Nurses'

Health Study, which followed over 85,000 nurses for a dozen years,

found that those eating just a serving of red meat a day had a

significantly increased fracture risk.[961]

[continued at

http://tinyurl.com/5ev9y ]

 

 

ATKINS FALSELY CLAIMS FOLLOWERS ARE GETTING

ENOUGH CALCIUM

Atkins offers a variety of foods rich in

calcium in all phases of the program, including

Induction...

 

Animal protein causes calcium loss, but studies have shown that

if someone consumes enough calcium, they may be able to mediate the

effects of the protein.[970] The problem is that the Atkins Diet can

also be seriously deficient in calcium.[971] The Atkins

" Debunking the Myths " webpage, though, calls such a charge

just another " fallacy. " [972] The " Fact, " your

website counters with, is that " While you're doing Atkins you

will get 100 percent of the Recommended Daily Intake of

calcium... " [973]

 

According to independent nutritional analyses, this is incorrect.

The estimated calcium content on the Atkins diet during Induction in

one analysis is 373mg,[974] less than 40% the Recommended Daily

Intake.[975] Tufts calls the calcium content of the Atkins diet (even

AFTER Induction) one of its " serious dietary

shortfalls. " [976]

 

-------------------------------

 

ACCUSATION #13 detailed at:

http://www.atkinsexposed.org/atkins/135/Corporate_Threat.htm

 

-------------------------------

 

ACCUSATION #14:

AtkinsFacts.org Objectionably Asserts Diet is Bad for Heart

 

Lipid Profile. You assert that page 23

that the ANA adversely affects the lipid profile thereby increasing

risk of cardiovascular disease. However, in the studies referenced by

Atkins at http://atkins.com/science/researchsupportingatkins.html, the

majority of subjects following a low-carbohydrate diet experience

favorable responses (e.g. a decrease in serum triglycerides or LDL and

an increase in serum HDL) (Westman 2002).

 

ATKINS IGNORES PROOF THAT THE ATKINS DIET

CLOGS ARTERIES

Based on one analysis of your diet published in the American Journal

of Clinical Nutrition, long-term use of the Atkins Diet is expected to

raise coronary heart disease risk by over 50%.[982] But before one

even addresses the question of risk factors, as documented in The

Proof is in the SPECT Scan, there was a study published in the

peer-reviewed medical literature that actually measured what was

happening to people's arteries on the Atkins diet.[983] The results,

posted online, validate that the Atkins Diet, according to the

American Dietetic Association, is " a heart attack waiting to

happen. " [984]

 

 

ATKINS EXAGGERATES THE BENEFIT OF LOWERING

TRIGLYCERIDES

You claim that triglycerides are as big a threat--or an even

bigger threat--to heart health than cholesterol.[985] This is

demonstrably false.[986] [continued at http://tinyurl.com/63rea ]

 

 

ATKINS DISTORTS THE RECORD ON

CHOLESTEROL

A rise in serum LDL levels is not an inevitable response to

low-carbohydrate dietary regimens. Some studies report no

statistically significant changes in LDL levels (Stern, 2004; Yancy,

2004) or a statistically significant reduction (Westman, 2002) in LDL

levels.

 

As documented in the AtkinsFacts.org section Atkins Distorted His

Record on Cholesterol, the Atkins Diet has failed to consistently

improve the single most important risk factor for heart disease, LDL,

or bad cholesterol. Your website, however, claims " Almost every

Atkins follower sees a drop in LDL ( " bad " )

cholesterol. " [995] Even Atkins-funded researchers concede that

this is incorrect.[994]

 

 

ATKINS ARGUES THAT SIZE

MATTERS

Furthermore, some studies reveal that in subjects who experienced

an increase in serum LDL levels, the increase is due to a greater

number of LARGE LDL particles (pattern A) and not an increase of

atherogenic small LDL particles (pattern B) (Sharman 2004, Hays 2003,

Sharman 2002). In addition, in some instances, the opposite trend may

occur in low fat diets: " Paradoxically, a

low-fat/high-carbohydrate diet exacerbates atherogenic dyslipidemia if

the patient does not lose a significant amount of weight or increase

his or her level of physical activity. " (Volek 2002)

 

You admit that bad cholesterol may rise on your diet, but argue

that the rise may be mostly in large bad cholesterol (pattern

" A " ) not the " atherogenic small " bad cholesterol

(pattern " B " ). While earlier research done on rabbits indeed

showed that small LDL particles seemed more likely to infiltrate

rabbit arteries,[996] studies since then on the arteries of actual

human beings found that size doesn't matter.[997] [continued at

http://tinyurl.com/4gv72 ]

 

 

ATKINS OFFERS NO VIABLE ALTERNATIVE TO

DRUGS

Dr. Atkins warned about the dangers associated with the

cholesterol-lowering " statin " drugs,[1008] but then didn't

offer a diet that could lower one's cholesterol enough to avoid a

lifetime of these costly drugs.[1009] On the contrary, the Atkins diet

has in fact been shown to seriously worsen heart disease.[1010] [continued at

http://tinyurl.com/3te68 ]

 

 

ATKINS EXAGGERATES THE BENEFIT OF RAISING

HDL CHOLESTEROL

Saturated fat can raise HDL (Hickey 2003,

Westman 2002). High HDL levels have shown to be protective against

coronary heart disease. Therefore, even if LDL is slightly increased,

the LDL/HDL ratio and total cholesterol/HDL ratio are still improved

after following a low-carbohydrate, high saturated fat diet (Volek

2003).

 

This claim is similar to the one on your website that low HDL is

a more important risk factor than elevated LDL.[1043] This is

demonstrably false.[1044] [continued at http://tinyurl.com/42bpz ]

 

 

ATKINS IGNORES " MORE IMPORTANT "

RISK FACTORS WHICH WORSEN ON ATKINS

According to your website, " Dr. Atkins does not believe that

cholesterol elevations are as important a risk factor as...

homocysteine and C-reactive protein. " [1071] It is interesting to

note, then, that even research he funded shows that both these risk

factors worsen on the Atkins Diet.

[continued at

http://tinyurl.com/5kdqs ]

 

-------------------------------

 

 

ACCUSATION #15: AtkinsFacts.org Makes " Misleading "

Assertion About Saturated Fat

 

* Health Effects of Saturated Fat. Your

assertions at page 26 regarding the health effects of saturated fats

are misleading. Studies looking at the effects of saturated fat on LDL

and total cholesterol have primarily been conducted in conjunction

with a high carbohydrate diet.

 

Similarly from your website: " Is it OK for me to consume

more than 20 percent of my calories in the form of saturated fat?

Absolutely, " you replied, " you're fine as long as you're

also following the rules of the ANA [Atkins Diet], which include

controlling your carbs. " Dr. Frank M. Sacks, a professor of

cardiovascular disease prevention at the Harvard School of Public

Health, called this argument simply

" ridiculous. " [1110] [continued

at http://tinyurl.com/55rcb

]

 

 

HOW CAN THE ATKINS CORPORATION JUST SAY

SATURATED FAT IS OK?

Corporations have a long history of downplaying the risks of

their products. Though over the past decades millions of children have

been poisoned by lead paint in the U.S., the Lead Industries

Association once threatened to sue a public health advocate for daring

to say that " lead paint was bad to eat. " [1119] The asbestos

industry also claimed that their product " offers no hazard to the

worker. " [1120] " I'm unclear in my own mind, " said the

Chairman of Philip Morris in 1998, " whether anyone dies of

cigarette smoking-related diseases. " [1121]

[continued at

http://tinyurl.com/4d9s6 ]

 

 

ATKINS CORPORATION MISLABELS AND THEN

MISREPRESENTS STUDIES

Your website claims " saturated fats aren't bad. " [1127]

According to Colette Heimowitz, M.S., the Atkins Director of Education

and Research, saturated fat has a " heart-healthy role. "

" In fact, " she writes, " some large epidemiological

trials, including the well-known Framingham Nurses' Study, have shown

no correlation between saturated fat and heart disease, stroke or

breast cancer. In fact, the more saturated fat and cholesterol

participants consumed, the lower their risk of heart

disease. " [1128]

 

There is no such thing as the " well-known Framingham Nurse's

Study. " Ms. Heimowitz must be thinking of either the Framingham

Heart Study or the Harvard Nurses' Study. In either case, she is

mistaken. [continued at http://tinyurl.com/5gpew ]

 

 

ATKINS IMPLIES THE TYPE OF SATURATED FAT IN

BEEF IS BENIGN

In the " Truth About Fat " you argue that it is

" absolutely " OK to consume more than 20% of calories in

one's diet from saturated fat. " In fact, " your website

reads, " one-third of the fat in beef is stearic acid, which has

been found to have a neutral or cholesterol-lowering

effect. " [1138] This is a classic deceptive tactic used by the

chocolate industry. [continued at http://tinyurl.com/6cvbx ]

-------------------------------

 

 

ACCUSATION #16:

AtkinsFacts.org Claim Regarding Teen's Death " Without

Support "

 

* Your claim at page 27 of the site that

the ANA [Atkins Diet] is responsible for the death of Rachel Huskey is

inflammatory and without support.

 

Addressing Rachel's tragic death, adolescent medicine specialist

Paul Robinson, M.D., said: " Our findings are consistent with what

I understand is the body's potential response to the Atkins Diet. "

" Obviously it doesn't happen very often, " he continued,

" and not in everybody. But I am very, very concerned about it.

There are certainly lots of evidence that it may have been the

diet. " [1149]

 

For further documentation, see the AtkinsFacts.org section on

Rachel. The report of her death and her diet was even published in a

peer reviewed medical journal by Professor Joseph Tobias, a

world-renowned child health specialist, that supports Dr. Robinson's

assertions.[1122] It's reprinted in full at Sudden Death of an

Adolescent During [Atkins] Dieting at http://tinyurl.com/4lyke

 

-------------------------------

 

 

ACCUSATION #17:

AtkinsFacts.org Cites Claims " Lacking in Merit "

 

* With respect to claims brought against

Atkins by Jody Gorran, Atkins believes that those claims are entirely

lacking in merit and will be dismissed.

 

As documented in Closing Off His Heart To the Atkins Diet,

businessman and past Atkins enthusiast Jody Gorran stopped following

Atkins only after narrowly escaping a massive heart attack. He is now

suing you, alleging that you " knew, or should have known, "

that what you were saying about your diet and heart disease risk was

false.[1150]

 

It is ironic that your lawyers attempted to dismiss his lawsuit based

on your " free speech protection of the First

Amendment " [1123] yet you threaten me and AtkinsFacts.org for

exercising the same right.

 

 

Please be advised that if you persist in

misrepresenting the Atkins Nutritional Approach and the research

supporting the ANA, [Atkins Diet] you do so at your own risk. We

intend to monitor closely the AtkinsFacts.org website and other oral

and written statements by you.

 

I intend to continue to warn the public about the serious

potential dangers your diet presents. " When unproven science

becomes a sales pitch, " declared a spokesperson for the American

Institute for Cancer Research about low-carb diets, " some people

get rich and the rest of us get ripped off. " [842]

 

-Michael Greger, M.D.

 

*******************************************************

 

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Until next month--happy World Vegetarian Awareness Month!

-Michael

--

 

(206) 312-8640

mhg1

http://www.veganMD.org

 

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