Dr Atkins Diet example essay topic

Proper nutrition and dieting has been quite a controversial topic over the past century. In the past couple decades an enormous amount of effort has been put forth toward infomercials for various products guaranteed to make people lose weight. Some of these products include "ab tronics" which shock the abdominal muscles; in theory they are supposed to simulate the movement of crunches. So, a person would be able to watch television with the belt on and fool their body into thinking he were doing crunches. Other gimmick products advertised are pills such as hydroxycut, which promise toned muscles and loss of body fat in only a short period of time. Since many people are anxious to lose weight, these products promise hope.

However, gimmick products discourage dieters and often cause people stop making healthy choices. Medications such as Hydroxycut actually do work for a short period of time, but then are less effective. After the results slow down, many dieters lose hope and become discouraged. This frequently leads people back to their old unhealthy habits and actually causes them put on a greater amount of weight then recently lost (O'Brien). It definitely is a fact that as a society Americans are becoming more and more unhealthy. Currently statistics show that over 65% of Americans are overweight (Hall).

A figure more astounding is that 30% of Americans are considered obese, almost 10% higher then a decade ago (Hall). According to the American Obesity Association, obesity causes at least 300,000 excess U.S. deaths and an annual healthcare costs of approximately $100 billion (Westman). It is crucial in the next few years that this pattern subsides or it will create a hectic problem for heath care providers (O'Brien). It is almost certain that health insurance would increase dramatically if Americans continue on this track of obesity.

However, one diet has been available for over 20 years and is now becoming increasing popular among people avid to lose weight. Dr. Robert Atkins introduced a new approach based on a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. In contrast to the other weight loss plans, the Atkins diet is becoming an extremely publicized diet and is being recommended by many health professionals (Westman). The Atkins diet is based on a simple theory which has continued to be debated for the past decade. "Dr. Robert Atkins may have brought about the most radical change in how we look at health in the past 30 years" stated Lisa Shea (O'Brien). Born in 1930, Richard Atkins graduated from the University of Michigan in 1951 with a pre-med degree.

Richard decided to complete his graduate studies at Cornell University Medical School the following year (New Diet Revolution). Atkins graduated from Cornell University Medical School in 1955 with a Cardiology degree (New Diet Revolution). He practiced as a cardiologist for almost a decade and then began exploring the effects of carbohydrates in the human body. After seeing an overwhelming amount of patients with obesity issues, he began to ponder about a possible link between his patients cases (Health Revolution). Atkins hypothesized that an excessive amount of carbohydrates may be the link which is contributing to the overwhelming obesity in his patients (McLeod). Dr. Atkins first published his diet in 1972, stressing the consumption of meat, fish, eggs, and fruit (New Diet Revolution).

"Atkins told readers they could eat all the steak and b'earnaise sauce they wanted, so long as they skipped the potato and bread" (New Diet Revolution). Atkins stressed reducing the amount of processed sugar-rich products which were becoming increasingly available in the U.S. Atkins' most important message was to avoiding breads, potatoes, and pasta (Health Revolution). Cutting carbohydrates is the basis of the Atkins diet which is becoming increasingly popular among U.S. citizens. In the early 1980's Dr. Atkins founded The Atkins Center of Complementary Medicine, a facility that synthesizes alternative and mainstream medicine (New Diet Revolution).

Dr. Atkins had quite an experienced team working at the clinic. The clinical staff included an acupuncturist, herbalist, and a nutritionist who worked with conventional physicians treating disorders ranging from obesity to multiple sclerosis. According to the Atkins website, the Atkins Center of Complementary Medicine has treated more then 55,000 patients since it opened (Hall). The Atkins diet limits carbohydrates, but permits unrestricted amounts of protein and fat (New Diet Revolution).

Carbohydrates are the initial source of energy used after the break down of food during digestion (Westman). The second source of energy is from fats, followed by protein. The idea behind cutting carbohydrates from the diet originated from that well-known theory of the order in which the body produces energy. Therefore when few carbohydrates are taken in, the body needs to go to the second source of energy which are fats (Hall). So, when the average American consumes approximately 65% carbohydrates the body doesn't need much energy from the second source, which is the primary reason why fats aren't the preferred energy source in a typical diet. That is why the Atkins diet is so unorthodox; it doesn't follow the food pyramid guide which has been viewed as the most effective diet model for decades (Westman).

However, the Atkins model is the first one to effectively defy the food pyramid model and still appear to be safe and healthy from the limited research completed. Exactly like other diets, the Atkins diet has been mocked and scrutinized by many health care professionals. Dr Jebb, of the Medical Research Nutrition Center in Cambridge, said its claimed benefits were based on "pseudo-science" (O'Brien). She argued that, despite a number of studies, no one knew what the long-term effects might be (O'Brien). Dr. Jebb's opinion seems to be consistent with other groups such as the American College of Preventive Medicine (Westman). In a overview of the program, the American College of Preventive Medicine called the diet potentially dangerous and ultimately ineffective (Mcleod).

"It is obvious that the Atkins diet can produce short term weight loss, but hasn't been thoroughly researched on individuals for greater than a 12 month period" (Mcleod). Supporters of the diet frequently seem to mention the fact that the Atkins diet attains rapid weight loss and lower cholesterol. "However, serious illnesses such as AIDS and cancer tend to cause weight and cholesterol to plummet, but clearly these are not desirable for health", explained Dr. David Katz of Yale University (O'Brien). However, nearly all of the groups opposing the Atkins diet have stated that carbohydrates should be consumed on a lower level than once thought. 45%-50% is approximately the standard consensus on the amount of carbohydrates recommended in an average daily diet. So, that consensus tends to support Dr. Atkins' diet, except not on as extreme a level.

It seems that even though the Atkins diet isn't recommended by all healthcare professionals, it definitely is becoming accepted enough for the majority of doctors to recommend. Although an extensive amount of research hasn't been done regarding the Atkins diet, what has been completed definitely supports Dr. Atkins' claims. One of the most extensive studies of the Atkins diet was recently completed at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. The identical study was completed at two other universities: the University of Washington and the University of Colorado (Hall). The study investigated 64 obese men and women who were 44 years of age and weighed an average of 216 pounds (Hall). This study was monitored by having each participant check in with the local university medical center every 3 months.

During those meetings each patient was thoroughly screened and examined to determine the effects of the diet (Westman). Half of the people followed the conventional diet (controlled variable) while the other half followed the Atkins diet (experimental variable) (Westman). The regulations of the conventional diet were based directly on the food pyramid guide which has been accepted for many decades as the ultimate diet. Women were allowed to consume 1200-1500 calories per day while men were allowed 1500-1800 (Westman).

Both the men and women stuck to a diet which consisted of 60% carbohydrate, 25% fat, and 15% protein (Westman). The Atkins dieters were instructed to follow a specific diet which only contained 5%-10% of carbohydrates. Atkins patients on average lost approximately 14 pounds compared to 6 pounds in the conventional group at 3 months (Hall). This trend continued after 6 months with Atkins patients experiencing a 14 pound loss compared to 7 pounds on the conventional diet (Hall). During the next six months, the Atkins diet maintained approximately the same results while the conventional diet increased in effectiveness until about it was equal with the Atkins dieters (Westman).

However Atkins participants displayed a greater increase in a cholesterol known as HDL (18% vs. 3%) (Westman). HDL cholesterol is actually healthy, in contrast to the belief most people have of all cholesterol being bad (Westman). But that wasn't the only internal factor which was different. Unhealthy starch products or sugars known as triglycerides were reduced on average by 28% in Atkins dieters compared to a gain of 1% in the conventional group (Westman). However, neither group seemed to show any significant changes in LDL cholesterol which is the unhealthy type (Hall). This kind of documented research definitely supports Dr. Atkins' hypothesis and safety of the diet.

Even though research studies haven't been completed on patients for multiple years, the results as of now indicate that it is safe. Until long-term studies are done, it seems that the majority of doctors will definitely recommend the diet, since the benefits certainly outweigh the risks (Westman). The Atkins diet appears to be one of the greatest discoveries in nutrition in quite some time, based on current research. Dr. Atkins continued to practice medicine and study his diet until the day he died. Atkins' death was the result of an accident on the way to his clinic one day. In front of his clinic, Dr. Atkins slipped on a sidewalk which was covered with ice (Westman).

He suffered extreme head trauma and was transported to the hospital immediately on April 8th 2003. Dr. Richard Atkins was pronounced dead on April 25th from complications from his accident. Dr. Atkins led an amazing life by improving the physical and emotional health of thousands of patients. It is extremely evident that Dr. Atkins didn't go in the medical field for financial reasons, but rather as a contribution to society. That is also evident by the fact he worked until the day he died. It is estimated that Dr. Atkins helped over 60,000 patients in his clinic alone.

Dr. Atkins diet books have become one of the top 50 selling books of all time (Shea). It is estimated that several million people have followed his diet and have been pleased with the physical results (Shea). "While some have mistakenly categorized his diets as one recommending bacon and eggs every morning, the diet actually warns against high salt and nitrate intakes and instead promotes a healthy balance of fish, vegetables, and ample water intake" (Shea). Many people suspect that in the near future the Atkins diet will be highly respected among all health care officials and be known as the top diet on the market (Shea). It is quite obvious that Dr. Robert Atkins has made an impact in a fairly large portion of Americans lives and will probably do so to a greater extent in the near future. Atkins, Robert.

Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution. New York: Avon, 2001. Atkins, Robert. Dr. Atkins Health Revolution: How Complementary Medicine Can Extend Your Life.

New York: Bantam, 1990. Hall, Rick. "Atkins Diet Controversy". What You Need to Know About Nutrition.

5 Mar. 2003... McLeod, Keith. "Atkins Alert". Daily Record. 13 Aug. 2003... O'Brien, Ellen.

"One Year Study f Atkins Diet Shows Surprising Results". University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. 5 May. 2003... Shea, Lisa.

"Dr Atkins diet" Robert Atkins History. 6 may 2003. Westman, Eric. "Low-Carb Diet Effective In Research Study". Duke University Health Briefs. 7 July 2002...