Atkins Diet Popular at JSU

JSU Student Clifshaun McElroy shows off a copy of the CD
containing the Atkins-based diet she followed to lose weight.

By Sherry Kughn
JSU News Bureau

April 22, 2004 -- Jacksonville State University psychology professor Claudia McDade has been eating the Atkins way for the past 30 years, starting when she developed hypoglycemia in her twenties.

The diet is a high protein, low carbohydrate, weight-loss program that claims to increase energy, help people lose weight, and eradicate several illnesses. McDade said she feels better on the diet and believes it helps her avoid diabetes. "It's been my preventive," she said.

 

The diet is so popular it apparently inspires criminal behavior, giving new meaning to "let's rustle up some supper."  Several law enforcement officers think it is responsible for cattle rustling.  Rural investigators told The Washington Post in April that cattle theft is on the rise due to low-carb dieters' demand for protein.  Oddly, there has been no similar rise in chicken or fish thefts.

 

According to Atkins Nutritionals, an Atkins' product company, about 25 million people in the United States are on the diet. Dr. Tim Roberts, an assistant JSU professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, said the Atkins Diet may not be good for some people and that many people get tired of eating meat and adhering to a long-term, high-protein diet.

 

"Meats contain saturated fat which can raise total blood cholesterol," said Roberts. "It also raises the bad LDL cholesterol levels, which contributes to atherosclerosis, a buildup of fatty plaques in the arteries. Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, is a form of coronary heart disease.

 

Roberts said the diet might be hard on the kidneys of people prone to kidney disease.  Also, he said the brain, red blood cells, and the nervous system need an ample supply of glucose, the best source of which is carbohydrates.

 

Health professionals aren't the only ones taking notice of the population of dieters following low-carbohydrate diets. According to a March 25 article released by the Associated Press, grocers can't keep enough low carbohydrate products on their shelves. One on-line food store owner complained that even with 300 new low-carbohydrate food items available, the demand is there for even more. The story, titled "Low-carb lifestyle challenges, changes food industry," by J.M. Hirsch, claims industries, such as those related to bread, potato, pasta, and sugar, are worrying about declining sales.

 

McDade, who teaches psychology and directs JSU's Learning Services, said a physician directed her to go on the Atkins Diet during her early twenties. "The medical establishment didn't even accept it then," she said.

 

Neither does every member of today's medical establishment. Most, though, were forced to re-think their positions when the New England Journal of Medicine in 2003 gave a nod to the diet's effectiveness when compared to results of dieters who followed diets low in fat and calories.

 

In May of 2004, the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston began recommending a modified Atkins diet that focused on meats lower in fat. The Atkins Diet advocates eating moderate amounts of red meat, avoiding binge eating and eschewing high-fat foods. Moderation appears to be the key to the success in the Atkins Diet.

 

McDade said she has countered the potential dangers of the Atkins Diet by keeping a close check on her lipids, or blood fat. "Have a lipid profile done and take a look," she said. "If a high count of the bad cholesterol comes up, then reduce your fat intake."

 

McDade has studied the diet extensively. Throughout the years, she learned to drink unsweetened coffee and tea, and even now monitors her intake of sugar. She admits she is not a lightweight person: she wears a size 16.  And she says she might shoot up to a size 22 if she does not stay on the diet.

 

"I can eat a hamburger with bread and gain three pounds overnight," she said.

 

Elaine Estes of Anniston went on the Atkins Diet in January of 2003 and stopped it around December due to her concern about cholesterol.

"I had my cholesterol checked," she said, "and it had gone up. I have heredity problems, though, with cholesterol and my doctor said it probably wasn't related to Atkins."

 

Estes said she has gained a little weight, so she plans to return to the Atkins Diet soon. "I want to do it again for about a month and do the low-fat version."

 

JSU senior Clifshaun McElroy is all smiles about her recent low-carbohydrate success. She started an Atkins-like diet in January that requires two brief exercise periods per day. She has dropped 35 pounds without the usual hunger.

 

"I just returned from New Orleans," she said, "where I ate a few extra carbohydrates per day without any weight gain."

 

She is eager to get back on the strict version of the diet in hopes of dropping another 30 pounds.

 

Another Atkins dieter at JSU is Ann Edwards, an instructor in the Department of Mathematical, Computing, and Information Sciences. She is diminutive in size but says she worries when her clothing begins to feel too tight.  Edwards has been off and on the diet for a little more than a year now.  She misses sweets in particular, especially Sister Schubert's bread rolls, but she feels she has no worries about health risks.

 

"I'm mainly eating lean meats, vegetables, and some fruits," she said. "That's healthy eating."

 

The initial phase of Atkins Diet works by trimming down the daily intake of carbohydrates to about 21 grams per day. That equals about two cups of green leafy vegetables and a scant amount of other vegetables. The dieter is also told to eat a moderate amount of food high in protein, which should place the body into a state of ketosis, which is said to signal weight loss.

 

After the initial phase of Atkins, dieters can move on up to five more carbohydrates per day of their choosing and increase that amount until ketosis stops. At that point, dieters on the plan cut back to the previous week's amount of carbohydrates, to remain in ketosis, and they strive to stay at that level until the desired amount of weight is lost.

 

An Atkins "maintenance" plan keeps dieters on a limited number of carbohydrates for life, giving preference to carbohydrates derived from vegetables, whole grains, and nuts. Scant amounts of fruit can be eaten on maintenance.

 

Critics of the plan take aim for several reasons, one being ketosis, which has been linked to calcium loss, the development of kidney stones, and dizziness or shakiness. Another issue is that long-term weight loss on Atkins is about like that of other diets.

 

Roberts recommends those considering the Atkins Diet to:

 

• Check with a physician about cholesterol and lipid levels
• Avoid the diet if a kidney problem exists
• Avoid the diet if a tendency toward atherosclerosis exists
• Eat a lean version of the diet
• Get at least 30% of your diet from carbohydrates

 

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