Adkins Diet (Atkins Diet) - Diet Plan Outline
Authored by Dr. Robert C. Atkins, the diet regimen is a low carbohydrate, high protein diet. According to the popular way of following this diet you are allowed to eat as much fat as you like as long as you consume very little carbohydrates. The magic behind the short-term success of low carbohydrate diets lies in their effect on the body: the body's preferred energy source is glucose. When carbohydrates are significantly restricted, the body runs short on its constant supply of glucose, the breakdown product of carbohydrate. The body anticipates these situations by storing glucose (glycogen) in the muscles and liver. For every gram of glycogen the body stores, it must store with it three grams of water. If carbohydrates are significantly limited, the body will break down these glycogen stores to obtain glucose for energy. When the glycogen is broken down stored water is released and excreted. The more aggressive the carbohydrate restriction, the more dramatic this effect. Hence, water loss.
In the first six months of 2004, almost 2000 new low carbohydrate products entered the marketplace. This continues despite the warnings from medical authorities. It is trully amazing how so many low carb diet gurus have managed to mislead millions of people into a diet opposed by the American Dietetic Association, the American Medical Association, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and the National Institutes of Health.
The Atkins Diet and other low-carb plans have shown poor results in the long-term. Considering the health risks associated with the regimen, the Atkins Diet seems like a poor choice when there are so many sensible alternatives.
