Why Did Dr. Atkins Die With Heart Disease?

Atkins-Style Diets May Increase Risk Of Cardiovascular Problems In Women

Could this be true?

I became fascinated by the Atkins diet and the whole concept of ketosis– using your fat stores for energy- about 9 years ago.  Dr. Atkins case studies were impressive and the research he cited sounded authoritative.  And the idea of reducing insulin just made sense.

I’ve lost weight before with my own modified  low carb/ high protein diets.  But to be honest, I always had a problem with the Atkins idea of putting large amounts of saturated fats and cholesterol in my body.  Plus it just kinda grossed me out.

And to be honest- I was never able to keep my carbs any low enough to get into ketosis. 100 grams of carbs is very low for me.  So the recommended 20-30 grams is pretty much impossible for me.

I do think reducing carbohydrates is an effective way for losing weight quickly but whether it is a healthy long term diet strategy remains to be seem.

It is interesting in the following British Medical Study-that the highest number of cardiovascular events correlated positively with the lowest carbohydrates and highest protein diets.

Is this proof Atkins style diets cause heart disease?  Some experts believe yes, some believe no.

We do know that When Dr. Atkins- the previous claims of perfect coronary health proved to be untrue.  He did die with the dreaded coronary heart disease.

I’m personally a big proponent of lots of carbs in the form of healthy vegetables everyday.  I also eat some fruits, some nuts and healthy fats and lean or plant proteins.

You should do your own research and be your own judge.  You can start by reading the following study.

According to a study published by the British Medical Journal, women are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, such as heart disease and stroke, if they regularly consume a low carbohydrate, high protein diet.

The actual numbers represents a 28% increase in the number of cases  of cardiovascular disease per year in the women who regularly consumed a low-carbohydrate, high protein diet  as those who did not.

Women often consume diets that are high in protein and low in carbohydrates, such as the Atkins diet, in order to manage their weight.

The results of previous studies on the long term consequences of these diets on cardiovascular health have been conflicting.

As a result, a team of researchers conducted a study of more than 43,000 women in Sweden. The participants, who were assessed over 15 years, were aged between 30 and 49 years from 1991-1992.

Study participants were asked to fill out a dietary and lifestyle questionnaire. In addition, diet was measured on the low carbohydrate-high protein (LCHP) score; a score of 2-19 represented a high intake of carbohydrates and low intake of protein, and a score of 20 represented a low intake of carbohydrates and high intake of protein.

The researchers took into account factors, such as alcohol use, smoking, overall level of activity, diagnosis of hypertension, and saturated/unsaturated fat intake, all of which were likely to influence the results.

Over the 15 years, the team found that 1,270 participants had suffered a cardiovascular event:

• 55% ischemic heart disease
• 23% ischemic stroke
• 6% hemorrhagic stroke
• 10% subarachnoid hemorrhage
• 6% peripheral arterial disease

According to the researchers, the higher the LCHP score, the more likely the participant was to experience a cardiovascular event.

They found that risk of cardiovascular disease increased by:

• 13% for women who scored 7 to 9
• 23% for those who scored 10 to 12
• 54% for women who scored 13 to 15
• 60% for those who scored 16+

At every two point increase in the LCHP score, there was a significant 5% increase in the chance of suffering a cardiovascular event or death. The researchers found that if women decreased their carb intake by 20g a day (equivalent to a small bread roll) and increased their protein intake by 5g (equivalent to one boiled egg), they had a 5% increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Increasing levels of smoking was found to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, whilst increasing level of education and physical activity reduced the risk.

According to the researchers, low-carb high protein diets “used on a regular basis and without consideration of the nature of carbohydrates or the source of proteins are associated with cardiovascular risk.”

They note that further studies are required in order to examine the possible benefit of short-term effects of low carbohydrate high protein diets that can be used to control weight or insulin resistance.

In an associated report, Anna Floegel from the German Institute of Human Nutrition and Tobias Pischon from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in Germany, explains that the short term benefits of weight loss seem outweighed by longer term cardiovascular harms.

In addition, she states that the conflicting results from different types of studies in this field “need to be resolved before low carbohydrate-high protein diets can be safely recommended to patients.”

In the meantime, they indicate that any benefits gained from these diets in the short-term “seem irrelevant in the face of increasing evidence of higher morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases in the long term.”

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For more articles like this Check out Do You Love to Eat More Than You Want To Lose Weight.  7 Mind-set Tip  and  Dieting for Maximum Fat-loss vs Maximum Performance  and  Faraday’s Top 11 Fat Loss and Diet Tips

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