Thu, 23 Oct 2003 05:10:31 GMT in article
<
[email protected]> Matti Narkia
<
[email protected]> wrote:
>22 Oct 2003 16:55:17 -0700 in article
><[email protected]> [email protected]
>(Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD) wrote:
>
>>See:
>>
>>http://tinyurl.com/rz25
>
>That's old news, issued last year, before the new important studies were
>published. Besides, from the article
>
>The burning question
>The Sydney Morning Herald, October 23, 2003
>http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/22/1066631499123.html
>
>read at least this citation:
>
> "Those already embarked on such research suspect that it will take a
> great deal to overcome the visceral response the mere mention of
> Atkins provokes among academics. Says Brehm: "A lot of people just
> want to hold on to what they learned in college.""
>
Another interesting quote from the article:
"Such attitudes might suggest that the scientific world is in the
grip of cognitive dissonance over the Atkins Diet, preferring to
ignore whatever evidence it does not like. Professor Eric Westman, a
clinical trials expert at Duke University in North Carolina, and
author of a study of the evidence for and against the diet, says,
"It is making people re-examine dogma - and it's not always
appreciated."
According to his review, which is due to appear in Current
Atherosclerosis Reports, studies show that the Atkins diet does
produce weight loss over six months, and without obvious health
effects. Contrary to the claims of many nutritionists, there is even
evidence that it may be healthier than the standard diet: despite
its promotion of fat and eggs, studies suggest that the diet may
boost levels of the healthy forms of cholesterol.
Westman thinks that this unexpected effect may explain a long-
standing mystery surrounding heart disease. In the late 1980s,
researchers began investigating the unusually low rates of heart
attacks and stroke among Eskimo communities in Greenland. Until now,
the explanation was thought to lie in their diet of oily fish. Yet
attempts to reduce heart disease using supplements of fish oil
extracts proved disappointing. Westman says the studies of the
Atkins diet point to another explanation: that the lo-carb diet
forced on the Inuit by their environment gives them higher levels of
healthy forms of cholesterol, which are proven to lower heart
disease risk."
--
Matti Narkia
