US Teen Dies After Following High-Protein Diet

[Guest guest]

US Teen Dies After Following High-Protein Diet

Thu Oct 31, 1:50 PM ET

By Dana Frisch

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Missouri doctors describe the case of an apparently

healthy 16-year-old girl who collapsed suddenly and died after spending one to

two weeks on a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet.

 

 

 

Electrolyte imbalances due to the diet, and the resulting damage to her heart

function, were likely responsible, the physicians who cared for her report in a

recent issue of the Southern Medical Journal. The girl had no known illnesses or

medical conditions.

 

 

The teen had low potassium and calcium levels when she arrived at the University

of Missouri Health Sciences Center, most likely as a consequence of the diet,

the doctors state in their report. This disrupted the normal electrical function

of her heart, leading it to stop and causing her to collapse, they write.

 

 

Dietitians and proponents of the Atkins diet, one example of a

low-carbohydrate/high-protein diet, say that other weight-loss measures

including eating disorders like bulimia or the use of diuretics were far more

likely to have contributed to the low electrolyte levels found in the teen's

blood.

 

 

Dr. D. Paul Robinson, a co-author of the paper, said in an interview that while

there might be other explanations for the teen's death, including an abnormal

heart rhythm, interviews with her parents did not suggest that she had a history

of bulimia or diuretic use. Robinson is an assistant professor of child health

in the division of adolescent medicine at the University of Missouri, Columbia.

 

 

" Most kids with eating disorders, even if they're able to hide the bulimia,

they're constantly talking about being fat or needing to lose weight and

exercise, " Robinson said. " My indication, from what I understand of the

interview with this girl's family, is that none of these things were the case. "

 

 

Colette Heimowitz, director of education and research at Atkins Health and

Medical Information Services, told Reuters Health that the Atkins approach has

been used by millions of Americans for 30 years now, and there have been no

documented cases of serious reactions or fatalities.

 

 

" The actual dietary approaches or practices that this particular teenager

followed for days or weeks couldn't possibly account for what (the physicians

are) attributing it to, " said Heimowitz. She noted that the irregular chemical

levels detected during the autopsy could be associated with drugs emergency

medical personnel and doctors administered to resuscitate the teen, or with

other weight-loss efforts.

 

 

Robinson disagrees. " I don't think there is any way the resuscitative drugs

would have affected (the teen's electrolytic balance), " he said, noting that

when the teen came in, she had low potassium levels.

 

 

Very high-protein/low-carbohydrate diets result in a condition called ketosis.

In ketosis, the body has used up its preferred fuel reserves, glycogen derived

from carbohydrates, and instead burns fat. This generates substances called

ketone bodies, which can be smelled in the breath.

 

 

Wahida Karmally, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, told

Reuters Health that these diets can cause muscle breakdown, weakness, nausea and

dehydration. They limit the intake of entire categories of food that provide

certain nutrients, such as potassium, she explained. " These effects can happen

right away, " she said.

 

" It is a worrying set of circumstances when kids die suddenly, " Robinson said.

" The whole point of writing the paper is to ask clinicians to keep their eyes

open. If kids come in with sudden death and they're on this kind of diet, we

really have to start paying more attention to it. "

 

SOURCE: Southern Medical Journal 2002;95:1047-1049.

[Guest guest]

Hi Fraggle

 

In the UK there has been some talk of this diet being unhealthy. Last year

a friend at work said her husband was following it (under doctor's advice!)

and he was only eating meat and fish - nothing else at all!!!!! I told her

I thought it was unhealthy, and she dismissed the idea. Last time I heard

he had deep vein thrombosis and was on blood-thinners.

 

Jo

 

 

---

Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.

Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

Version: 6.0.394 / Virus Database: 224 - Release 03/10/02

[Guest guest]

of course its foolish

all protein makes you lose weight, but its all water weight...

and all that protein just wrecks havoc on yer body, acidifies the blood, causes

calcium to leach from the bones, crashes yer kidneys

argh

my father is on it, not like he doesn't have enough health problems as it is!!!

its one of those diets " that makes you feel good " bullcrap...

you mean, i can eat dead flesh and loss weight, wow!! and next week i'm going to

do that new twinkie and sugar diet...

*rolls eyes*

fraggle

 

 

" Josey " <cthulhu_23 wrote:

 

>I remember in high school a lot of girls were on this diet.  I talked

>to one who had a weekly planner, one day she could eat a hamburger

>patty with no bun, and a few pieces of lettuce, another day some

>other hunk of flesh with no accompaniment, how can this be good?  My

>friend's mom tried it it (she is a nutritional consultant) just so

>she could be abreast of the new trend and give an experienced

>opinion, she said it was a very foolish diet to follow.

>

>, " Heartwork " <Heartwork@b...> wrote:

>> Hi Fraggle

>>

>> In the UK there has been some talk of this diet being unhealthy.  

>Last year

>> a friend at work said her husband was following it (under doctor's

>advice!)

>> and he was only eating meat and fish - nothing else at all!!!!!  I

>told her

>> I thought it was unhealthy, and she dismissed the idea.  Last time

>I heard

>> he had deep vein thrombosis and was on blood-thinners.

>>

>> Jo

>>

>>

>> ---

>> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.

>> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

>> Version: 6.0.394 / Virus Database: 224 - Release 03/10/02

>

>

>

>To send an email to -

>

>