Harvard study -- clearing the air

If you read the reports of this study in the news you probably
got a skewed notion of what it said. Reporters are not
subject matter experts and their lack of expertise and editorial
pressures can futz up the simplest of information. So here is
a link and my summary.

http://kinesiology.boisestate.edu/ki...Commentary.htm

This article was printed from Harvard Health Publications.
Article's URL: http://health.harvard.edu/article.cfm?id=194,

Is the Atkins diet on to something?

By: Harvard Health Letter (Thursday, 01-05-2003)

1. This study was funded by Atkins or his foundation. Any time
results are funded by the target of the study, you cannot trust
the results. There is no possibility of a true controlled study
under those circumstances. The human mind is wonderful but also
strange in its ability to find positive results under the most
subtle and seemingly unimportant of influences.

2. There are no long term studies which show what happens if
somebody has to leave the diet for health reasons. Do they put
all the weight back on? Nobody knows.

3. No eating plan alone is effective in controlling weight, let
alone health. Exercise is a physiological requirement for overall
health. The current explosion in obesity can be traced just as much
to video games and suburban sprawl (resulting in longer commutes
and therefore less time for exercise) as in people eating wrong.

4. Numbers of studies, numbers of participants, and diversity of
studies. Somebody brought up tobacco here recently and from reading
the CDC/Surgeon General's studies, I know that the cancer-causing
chemicals in tobacco are in all tobacco (there is no such thing as
a safe tobacco product) and that the studies involved close to a
billion people worldwide over the last century. There are no such
results yet for Atkins. Duke -- 120 people, six months, funded by
Atkins;
Cincinnati -- 53 people, six months. That is hardly conclusive.

5. Weight loss compared to cholesterol. This is unreliable anecdotal
evidence but I was able to reduce my cholesterol without losing weight,
by changing my exercise habits. I was also able to bring my blood
pressure within the new more-restrictive guidelines at the same time.
I am still working on losing the weight and for me, the key to that
is reducing fat in my diet. I would never get on Atkins first because
of both of these issues.

6. The Harvard paper condemns the saturated fat in Atkins.
It instead recommends using low-fat proteins like fish (with
its heart protecting omega-3 fatty acids), and replacing
white bread and rice with whole grains. The actual Harvard
study only lasted 18 months and did not use Atkins but a
moderate fat eating plan. So it proves nothing about Atkins.

7. Reports of constipation (68%) with Atkins are troubling.
Colo-rectal cancer is one of the three top cancers and incidence
can be reduced by moving food through the gut using fiber and
exercise. Atkins removes useful fiber from the diet.

(Only lung and prostate cancer kill more people every year
compared to colo-rectal cancer.)

Don't just count calories, count the total nutritional content of food.
Don't just look at the weight loss, look at the overall health benefits.

Patricia Heil wrote:

If you read the reports of this study in the news you probably
got a skewed notion of what it said. Reporters are not
subject matter experts and their lack of expertise and editorial
pressures can futz up the simplest of information. So here is
a link and my summary.

http://kinesiology.boisestate.edu/ki...Commentary.htm

This paper is loaded, LOADED with emotional nonsense, speculation and
"everybody knows" kinds of assertions. There are many good and solid
criticisms of LC dieting based on good science, but this one most
assuredly isn't it.

The "summary" below editorializes even more than the original paper.

The sound of axes grinding as background music...

Pastorio

This article was printed from Harvard Health Publications.
Article's URL: http://health.harvard.edu/article.cfm?id=194,

Is the Atkins diet on to something?

By: Harvard Health Letter (Thursday, 01-05-2003)

1. This study was funded by Atkins or his foundation. Any time
results are funded by the target of the study, you cannot trust
the results. There is no possibility of a true controlled study
under those circumstances. The human mind is wonderful but also
strange in its ability to find positive results under the most
subtle and seemingly unimportant of influences.

2. There are no long term studies which show what happens if
somebody has to leave the diet for health reasons. Do they put
all the weight back on? Nobody knows.

3. No eating plan alone is effective in controlling weight, let
alone health. Exercise is a physiological requirement for overall
health. The current explosion in obesity can be traced just as much
to video games and suburban sprawl (resulting in longer commutes
and therefore less time for exercise) as in people eating wrong.

4. Numbers of studies, numbers of participants, and diversity of
studies. Somebody brought up tobacco here recently and from reading
the CDC/Surgeon General's studies, I know that the cancer-causing
chemicals in tobacco are in all tobacco (there is no such thing as
a safe tobacco product) and that the studies involved close to a
billion people worldwide over the last century. There are no such
results yet for Atkins. Duke -- 120 people, six months, funded by
Atkins; Cincinnati -- 53 people, six months. That is hardly conclusive.

5. Weight loss compared to cholesterol. This is unreliable anecdotal
evidence but I was able to reduce my cholesterol without losing weight,
by changing my exercise habits. I was also able to bring my blood
pressure within the new more-restrictive guidelines at the same time.
I am still working on losing the weight and for me, the key to that
is reducing fat in my diet. I would never get on Atkins first because
of both of these issues.

6. The Harvard paper condemns the saturated fat in Atkins.
It instead recommends using low-fat proteins like fish (with
its heart protecting omega-3 fatty acids), and replacing
white bread and rice with whole grains. The actual Harvard
study only lasted 18 months and did not use Atkins but a
moderate fat eating plan. So it proves nothing about Atkins.

7. Reports of constipation (68%) with Atkins are troubling.
Colo-rectal cancer is one of the three top cancers and incidence
can be reduced by moving food through the gut using fiber and
exercise. Atkins removes useful fiber from the diet.

(Only lung and prostate cancer kill more people every year
compared to colo-rectal cancer.)

Don't just count calories, count the total nutritional content of food.
Don't just look at the weight loss, look at the overall health benefits.

I totally agree with you Patricia.

The media or certain reporters are more interested in a "hot" story that
sells. They usually know of nothing about health and can hardly ever report
everything from a diet study in one little article.

When one gets down to the nitty gritty of these extremely low carb diets,
they can be more dangerous in the long run (assuming you can keep such diet
going). Yea, people can lose weight on such diets but it has LESS to do with
limiting carbs and MORE to do with the reduced calories from the low carb
diet.

Here is a site that gives some concerns about Aktins @
http://www.atkinsdietalert.org/consumer.html

I like your dieting style of "low fat" and getting your protein from lean
sources high in EFAs.

Trent


-- Look and Feel Great! FREE weight loss and anti-aging group. Join now @
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/weightloss_health


From: Patricia Heil
Reply-To:
Newsgroups: alt.support.diet
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2003 10:05:55 -0400
Subject: Harvard study -- clearing the air

If you read the reports of this study in the news you probably
got a skewed notion of what it said. Reporters are not
subject matter experts and their lack of expertise and editorial
pressures can futz up the simplest of information. So here is
a link and my summary.

http://kinesiology.boisestate.edu/ki...Commentary.htm

This article was printed from Harvard Health Publications.
Article's URL: http://health.harvard.edu/article.cfm?id=194,

Is the Atkins diet on to something?

By: Harvard Health Letter (Thursday, 01-05-2003)

1. This study was funded by Atkins or his foundation. Any time
results are funded by the target of the study, you cannot trust
the results. There is no possibility of a true controlled study
under those circumstances. The human mind is wonderful but also
strange in its ability to find positive results under the most
subtle and seemingly unimportant of influences.

2. There are no long term studies which show what happens if
somebody has to leave the diet for health reasons. Do they put
all the weight back on? Nobody knows.

3. No eating plan alone is effective in controlling weight, let
alone health. Exercise is a physiological requirement for overall
health. The current explosion in obesity can be traced just as much
to video games and suburban sprawl (resulting in longer commutes
and therefore less time for exercise) as in people eating wrong.

4. Numbers of studies, numbers of participants, and diversity of
studies. Somebody brought up tobacco here recently and from reading
the CDC/Surgeon General's studies, I know that the cancer-causing
chemicals in tobacco are in all tobacco (there is no such thing as
a safe tobacco product) and that the studies involved close to a
billion people worldwide over the last century. There are no such
results yet for Atkins. Duke -- 120 people, six months, funded by
Atkins;
Cincinnati -- 53 people, six months. That is hardly conclusive.

5. Weight loss compared to cholesterol. This is unreliable anecdotal
evidence but I was able to reduce my cholesterol without losing weight,
by changing my exercise habits. I was also able to bring my blood
pressure within the new more-restrictive guidelines at the same time.
I am still working on losing the weight and for me, the key to that
is reducing fat in my diet. I would never get on Atkins first because
of both of these issues.

6. The Harvard paper condemns the saturated fat in Atkins.
It instead recommends using low-fat proteins like fish (with
its heart protecting omega-3 fatty acids), and replacing
white bread and rice with whole grains. The actual Harvard
study only lasted 18 months and did not use Atkins but a
moderate fat eating plan. So it proves nothing about Atkins.

7. Reports of constipation (68%) with Atkins are troubling.
Colo-rectal cancer is one of the three top cancers and incidence
can be reduced by moving food through the gut using fiber and
exercise. Atkins removes useful fiber from the diet.

(Only lung and prostate cancer kill more people every year
compared to colo-rectal cancer.)

Don't just count calories, count the total nutritional content of food.
Don't just look at the weight loss, look at the overall health benefits.

Pat,

Agree with your conclusion "Don't just count calories, count the total
nutritional content of food. Don't just look at the weight loss, look
at the overall health benefits." That's why Dr. Willett's healthy
food pyramid I believe makes the most sense. Dr. Willett says that up
to 80% of heart disease is due to poor diet - our "Western Diet" of
red meat and potatoes. Ditch white bread, refined grains, added
sugars and whte potatoes. Replace with whole grains, fruits and
veggies. Ditch fatty red meat - replace with fish, veg. protein, lean
meats. Ditch saturated fats and trans-fatty acids. Replace with
unsaturated fats. Ditch couch-potatoe habits - replace with exercise.
If you're going to reduce carbs, make it the "bad" carbs. Replace
with healthy fats - olive oil, fat from nuts. The Harvard website goes
into much more detail.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritio.../pyramids.html

Patricia Heil wrote in message ...
If you read the reports of this study in the news you probably
got a skewed notion of what it said. Reporters are not
subject matter experts and their lack of expertise and editorial
pressures can futz up the simplest of information. So here is
a link and my summary.

http://kinesiology.boisestate.edu/ki...Commentary.htm

This article was printed from Harvard Health Publications.
Article's URL: http://health.harvard.edu/article.cfm?id=194,

Is the Atkins diet on to something?

By: Harvard Health Letter (Thursday, 01-05-2003)

1. This study was funded by Atkins or his foundation. Any time
results are funded by the target of the study, you cannot trust
the results. There is no possibility of a true controlled study
under those circumstances. The human mind is wonderful but also
strange in its ability to find positive results under the most
subtle and seemingly unimportant of influences.

2. There are no long term studies which show what happens if
somebody has to leave the diet for health reasons. Do they put
all the weight back on? Nobody knows.

3. No eating plan alone is effective in controlling weight, let
alone health. Exercise is a physiological requirement for overall
health. The current explosion in obesity can be traced just as much
to video games and suburban sprawl (resulting in longer commutes
and therefore less time for exercise) as in people eating wrong.

4. Numbers of studies, numbers of participants, and diversity of
studies. Somebody brought up tobacco here recently and from reading
the CDC/Surgeon General's studies, I know that the cancer-causing
chemicals in tobacco are in all tobacco (there is no such thing as
a safe tobacco product) and that the studies involved close to a
billion people worldwide over the last century. There are no such
results yet for Atkins. Duke -- 120 people, six months, funded by
Atkins;
Cincinnati -- 53 people, six months. That is hardly conclusive.

5. Weight loss compared to cholesterol. This is unreliable anecdotal
evidence but I was able to reduce my cholesterol without losing weight,
by changing my exercise habits. I was also able to bring my blood
pressure within the new more-restrictive guidelines at the same time.
I am still working on losing the weight and for me, the key to that
is reducing fat in my diet. I would never get on Atkins first because
of both of these issues.

6. The Harvard paper condemns the saturated fat in Atkins.
It instead recommends using low-fat proteins like fish (with
its heart protecting omega-3 fatty acids), and replacing
white bread and rice with whole grains. The actual Harvard
study only lasted 18 months and did not use Atkins but a
moderate fat eating plan. So it proves nothing about Atkins.

7. Reports of constipation (68%) with Atkins are troubling.
Colo-rectal cancer is one of the three top cancers and incidence
can be reduced by moving food through the gut using fiber and
exercise. Atkins removes useful fiber from the diet.

(Only lung and prostate cancer kill more people every year
compared to colo-rectal cancer.)

Don't just count calories, count the total nutritional content of food.
Don't just look at the weight loss, look at the overall health benefits.