not provide the variety of foods needed to adequately meet nutritional needs. Individuals
who follow these diets are therefore at risk for compromised vitamin and mineral intake,
as well as potential cardiac, renal, bone and liver abnormalities overall.Advocates of high-protein diets say their approach reduces the risk of heart disease. However, the
Nutrition Council of the AHA says: “A diet rich in animal protein, saturated fat, and cholesterol raises
low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, an effect that is compounded when high-
carbohydrate, high-fiber plant foods that help lower cholesterol are limited or eliminated. High-
protein diets may also be associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease due to intakes of
saturated fat, cholesterol, and other associated dietary factors.^46 ”
Advocates of high-protein diets say their approach is especially good for people with diabetes.
However, “a very-high-protein diet is especially risky for patients with diabetes, because it can speed
the progression, even for short lengths of time, of diabetic renal disease” (The Nutrition Council of the
AHA).^47
Dr. Atkins shared with me personally before he died that bad breath and constipation were just two
of the diet’s “side effects.” Those symptoms aren’t coincidences or side issues; they are signals from
your body that low-carb, high-animal-protein diets are acidic and not health-promoting.
“Sure, you can lose weight on a high-protein diet, but you are also
risking your health. The Nutrition Council of the AHA specifically
links these diets to heart disease, high blood pressure, gout, cancer,
and fatigue. If you look closely at the appearance of advocates of
these high-protein diets, you will notice most of them can be kindly
described as appearing somewhere between overweight and portly.
This is clear evidence to me that the diets they recommend are too
difficult to follow—even their founders cannot stick to their own
plans. Their personal appearance should discourage anyone from
following their recommendations.”- John McDougall, M.D.
Dr. Atkins himself was well-intentioned, especially in trying to find an answer for extremely obese
people. His major contribution was exposing refined carbohydrates as disease-causing culprits.
However, low-carb diets (in other words, most diets) are still based on high intake of animal
products and refined “low-carb” products, which are nutrient-poor foods. Therefore, low-carb
dieting can never be part of a healthy lifestyle.
So a good question to ask yourself is: Are you really “dying” to lose weight?
(^46) St Jeor ST, Howard BV, Prewitt TE, Bovee V, Bazzarre T, Eckel RH. Dietary protein and weight reduction: a statement for
health care professionals from the Nutrition Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism of
the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2001;104:1869-74.
(^47) Ibid.