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Healthwise

Tuesday, November 26, 2002

By Virginia Linn, Post-Gazette Health Editor

You'd think after being on this earth for thousands of years, we'd know how to feed ourselves by now.

	Virginia Linn

Problem is, we've been feeding ourselves too well.

With 60 percent of Americans now overweight or obese, the Atkins diet has been at the top of the news lately, particularly after Duke University's announcement last week on a study that showed people -- on the short term -- can lose more weight and can lower their cholesterol on its high-fat, high-protein, low-carb formula. The study, which interestingly was financed by the Robert C. Atkins foundation, was small, but determined that the diet was safe enough to test in larger trials.

It was the latest of three formal studies of the 30-year-old Atkins diet presented at medical conferences over the past year, and all reached similar conclusions.

With these announcements, it's easy to get excited about the Atkins diet; and reader testimonials on this page show that some local folks swear by it.

But since The New York Times made a big media splash with a magazine article on July 7 in which influential national researchers were quoted as endorsing the high-fat, low carb diet, many health experts have come forward sounding alarms.

The article, "What if Fat Doesn't Make You Fat?" by freelance writer Gary Taubes (which has led to a book contract with a reported $700,000 advance), was recently blasted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit consumer health group in Washington D.C. Editors of the center's health letter, Nutrition Action, went back to each of the experts quoted in the article, who told them their statements were twisted, distorted or left out altogether if they didn't support the eating plan.

		More on Atkins Readers tell Your Health how the Atkins diet worked for them. David Lanz went from 500 pounds to 205 pounds on the Atkins diet. The Atkins diet in a nutshell.

Barbara Rolls, an obesity expert at Penn State, spoke to Taubes for six hours and sent him a "bundle of papers", but he didn't quote a word of her remarks, according to the center.

"Gary Taubes tricked us all into coming across as supporters of the diet," according to John Farquhar, a professor emeritus of medicine at Stanford University's Center for Research in Disease Prevention.

A year ago, the American Heart Association issued a strong recommendation against the Atkins and other such diets (Protein Power, Zone and Sugar Busters), citing a lack of credible scientific evidence of long-term weight loss and possibility of increased risk for those with diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions.

The high-protein diets are based on the theory that refined carbohydrates, by spiking insulin levels in the blood, are responsible for weight gain and deposits of fat.

But the heart association and other nutrition experts say you're not losing weight because of some magic reaction that occurs because you've cut carbohydrates, but because you're cutting calories.

Ditto on cholesterol numbers. Shedding pounds causes cholesterol numbers to drop.

The Atkins' diet two-week induction phase causes you to lose mostly water, not fat. Because of the calorie loss, you're burning your own fat, which can create a condition called ketosis. This can cause nausea, suppressing hunger.

An interesting point brought up recently by the University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter is the analysis of the folks in the National Weight Control Registry. This is a list of 3,000 people who successfully lost at least 30 pounds and kept them off for more than a year. Since 1972, Atkins' books have sold more than 11 million copies. Yet, fewer than 1 percent of those on the registry credited their weight loss to this or similar diets.

"If the Atkins diet offered some sort of metabolic advantage for long-term success, surely it would be better represented," according to the wellness newsletter.

The New York Times article essentially concludes that the Atkins diet is the best way to lose weight, even though there's been little research on possible long-term ills or advantages or whether people can keep off the weight.

But the truth is, scientists -- remarkably -- still don't know the best way to accomplish this. All sorts of studies are under way to figure out the safest and most effective approach, although they know that calorie consumption and exercise play key roles.

Better yet is to focus on preventing the weight gain in the first place, particularly among our youth.

That was part of the effort behind last week's regional Child Obesity Forum held Downtown at the Highmark Blue Cross headquarters. It was sponsored by the Western Pennsylvania Caring Foundation and the Children's Health Fund of New York.

More than 100 doctors, public health officials, school, corporate and foundation representatives gathered to examine the escalating obesity rate among 6- to 19-year-olds and to develop local initiatives to combat the problem.

Improving physical education opportunities, providing more open space for kids to play, limiting the use of TV and video games and steering children to healthy food choices were discussed.

With this regional support, it's now time to take these ideas and put them into action. As a first step, perhaps Mayor Murphy should place his proposed 10 percent tax on Big Gulp soft drinks instead of alcohol to fill his budget shortfall.