Dr. Atkins taught that eating fat does NOT make you fat. Has that been scientifically proven correct?

Question

I'm speaking here of Robert Atkins, M.D., author of "Dr. Atkin's New Diet Revolution."

Answer 1

Yes *in the context of a very low carbohydrate diet*, I've read papers on that subject but I can't find a link to one at the moment.

The short version is that it's the hormone insulin that causes fat storage. If you are on a ketogenic (very low-carb) diet, not only are you burning fat for energy, but your insulin levels are low enough that you do not store the excess fat.

If you check out the blogs of Dr. Michael Eades http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/ , Dr. Mary Vernon http://rjr10036.typepad.com/askdrvernon/ , or Regina Wiltshire http://www.weightoftheevidence.com/ , you should find coverage of the topic, or you could post the question to them directly.

Personally, I have been eating a fairly high-fat diet for the past two years and I have LOST 60 pounds. And my bloodwork is excellent, thank you.

Dr. Atkins did not die of a heart attack, he died of complications resulting from slipping on the ice and hitting his head on the sidewalk. I hope when I'm 72 I'm still healthy and active enough to be walking to work every day like he did. His heart problems were caused by *VIRAL* cardiomyopathy....not diet related.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Yes and no...

If you eat fat, the body will burn it if that is the only source of calories.

However, the Atkins diet has been partially debunked...however, there is some legitimate results that seem to make it a workable plan. However, the unknown long-term effects of keytones in the body and te fact that the Atkins diet has the same drop-out rate after a year as almost every other diet makes me (personally) look to a much different route.

Answer 4

Well so goes the story that the proof is in the pudding. Dr Atkin's died. so evidently fat does kill you. It clogss your arteries and if it weren't for us having vegies and fruit I'd say that we would be pretty big right now, Now don't you think so. Vegetable fat and fats from seeds nuts and grains are a much better choice than the meat variety. So eat your vegies and you should be getting enough without having to worry about the fat because it is limited in the food already so theres no counting involved at all. Simplicity. Nice Huh?

Answer 5

Not at all.

This is one of the most blatant examples of misinformation that is propogated by his diet.

Everything that gets stored as fat MUST be converted to fat (except for fat itself).

For every gram of fat that is produced, the substance must yield 9 calories. A gram of carbohydrates can only yield 4 calories. The truth is that we can NEVER get 9 calories out of only 4 calories.

The assertions made by Dr. Atkins are in complete contradiction to the law of conservation of energy.

I do not believe that Dr. Atkins died of a heart attack, but he was clinically obese.

Here is more info about the subject:
http://www.spartafit.com/main/fat%20loss.php

Answer 6

this is scientifically correct as long as its healthy fats and not unhealthy ones. even then...the unhealthy ones like trans fat...that goes striaght to your arteries and sits in there blocking those up and not necessarily anywhere else. you should be getting at least 25% of your daily calories from healthy fats because the body needs fats to produce hormones, to myelinate the axons of your nuerons (quicker action/response time) and for other cellular bodies. the truth is too much of anything can make you fat because the body will always store the food energy it doesn't use as fat no matter whether you ate too much fat or carbs or protein ect. i haven't really read any of dr. atkins stuff but i never liked him or trusted him from the get go.

Answer 7

No it hasn't.

A fact people have yet to be able to digest is that eating ANYTHING can make you fat.

It depends on how MUCH you eat.

Simple moderation, combined with exercise, is enough to keep someone at a healthy weight. Obviously, moderation is a thing easier said than done; in this age of Twinkies and children becoming idiotic drones to MTV, it's easy to sit and snack for hours on end.

But I digress.

Fat contains 9 calories per gram, whereas both protein and carbohydrates contain only 4. Eating large quantities of fat will make you bigger, but not if you utilize those extra calories.

Answer 8

It hasn't been definitively proven but the diet has worked for many people. On the other hand, it is extremely unhealthy and can cause heart problems.
NB: Dr. Atkins died of a heart attack.

Answer 9

Didn't his heart attack kind of null & void his claims?

1) Eating no carbs will force your body to burn calories from fat (as well as muscle) faster than usual

2) The unhealthy omega6 fatty acids (not to be mixed up with good omega3) actually increase general inflammation in your body & decrease the ability for your cells to function normally.

3) This diet was intended only for short term use by surgical patients who needed to drop a lot of weight quickly... and was then transformed into the new "IT" diet by the media, while they ignored the health risks of eating too much protein & bad fats.

***Omega3 fatty acids with DHA are vital for immune system, nervous system & overall bodily function & should be included or supplemented in every diet. That's why they're good fats***

Answer 10

I really don't care because 1.) I'm not fat and 2.) Will never be :)