Hazardous Low Carb Diet Article

[Starmaker]

Just thought I would share this article that appeared in todays paper. Written by Dr. W. Gifford-Jones

LOW CARB DIETS MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO FETUS

Remember when gold hit 800 dollars an ounce in 1981 and people lined up to buy gold? Or when people said that you were missing the boat if you didn't buy high tech stocks? Others rushed to lose weight on Atkins low carb diet that never made nutritional sense. History continues to show that its time to run for cover when everybodys following the same fad. Restrictive diets have always been hazardous. Its amazing that years ago some people believed that eating only grapefruit was the answer for weight loss.

Recently its been discovered that low carb diets may be lacking in folic acid, a deficiency linked to heart attack. Folic acid is also essential to normal development of the fetus in the very early days of pregnancy. Without this vital nutrient children can be born with spina bifida, an underdevelopment of the spine requiring major surgery.
We obtain folic acid from white bread fortified with folic acid, breakfast cereals, pasta made from fortified flour and orange juice. Its these very foods that are largely discouraged in low carb diets.

Derryn Gill, chairwoman of the Spina Bifida and Hydocephalus Association of Ontario, says that vanity should not get in the way of having a healthy child.

Nancy Green, medical director of the March of Dimes, also expresses concern. She claims that people are fooled by media reports and eliminate carbohydrates without ensuring the replacement of essential micronutrients by eating more fruits and vegetables.

Several studies show that the use of folic acid has resulted in a tremendous reduction in birth defects. For instance, since the fortification of some foods with folic acid, spina bifida has decreased by 75% and the common childhood cancer, neuroblastoma, by 60%.

Women of childbearing age must take folic acid before becoming pregnant to protect children from spinal defects. Once pregnancy is diagnosed several weeks of fetal development have usualy passed and damage has already been done.

But Nancy Green reports that surveys reveal that fewer than 1/3 of women of childbearing age take a multivitamin pill. Thats sad news for unborn children. I wonder how often do nutritionists and this columnist have to tell patients that a balanced diet beats all diets? Thats there has never been a Ponce-de-Leon diet that is the be all and end all of nutritious eating.

We all need a balance of protein, fat and carbohydrate. I agree that there are bad carbohydrates like sugar, and good ones like whole wheat flour. And that there are good and bad fats. But discard all the baloney about the perfect diet. What will win or lose the obesity epidemic is the number of calories consumed. And if you think you can consume mega calories and burn them off by exercise, you're living in La La Land. Calories always beat exercise.

You don't need a book to lose weight. Rather, start the day with low caloric fiber cereal. Purchase fewer packaged foods that contain excessive amounts of sugar, salt and calories. Consume more fruits and vegetables. Order a 6 rather than a 14 ounce steak. Eat more fish. Remember that milk is a thousand times better than sugar laden soft drinks. And wait 20 minutes before asking for a second helping. By that time the hunger reflex has usually dissipated.

Read food labels, particularly noting the number of calories. Today food producers are wolves in sheeps clothing. They're now selling low fat foods without mention that something has to replace fat to provide flavour. Its usually high caloric sugar.

If people still can't say no to a low carb diet, they should at least take a multivitamin pill which contains folic acid. Its a good insurance policy to protect unborn children from birth defects.

Folic acid also helps to decrease the risk of coronary attack in adults by decreasing the level of homocysteine, a waste product of protein metabolism. Studies show that elevated levels of homocysteine in the blood can raise the risk of heart attack as much as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. High levels of homocysteine are also associated with increased risk of stroke and arterial disease of the legs. All the more reason for taking folic acid.

[Susan33]

Doesn't Dr. Atkins say to take a multivitamin and other supplements due to not eating carbs? I think that everyone who has read the book, know they need to take supplements, because of doing low carb diets. They should have mentioned that Dr. Atkins recommened supplements. Also, you are supposed to be under a doctors supervision anytime you diet and your doctor will let you know if you need any additional supplements, at least mine does.

[Starmaker]

I agree

[Nutri_Nut]

What is it about low-carb eating that is not politically correct? The media treats this way of eating like it's a plague. They don't bash the Kelloggs nonsense that eating two bowls of cereal a day and a "sensible" dinner is a wonderful way to lose weight. When did low-fat become politically correct? And why? I am amazed at the amount of inaccurate information the media pumps to the public about low-carb eating. More than likely, it's lazy journalism. Instead of doing the research and digging for themselves, journalists seem content to just repeat what the critics say without investigating whether or not it's true!

[sallyseachange]

Sheesh! I hate these scare-mongering articles! What about the extra veggies we're supposed to eat, once out of induction? What about the berries and whole grains? What about supplementation? Seems to me that the Atkins WOE is pretty well balanced really... it's only induction that's more restrictive and good supplementation should ward off any problems then.

[Isabeau]

And we all know that pregnant women do not eat at Induction levels. Right on to Maintenance.

[Bugaboo]

Apparently that author has never read Chapter 23! Or well...the book itself.

[Starmaker]

Even scarier is that the author is a doctor himself.

[Elsie150]

GGGRRRR!

"Recently its been discovered that low carb diets may be lacking in folic acid, a deficiency linked to heart attack. Folic acid is also essential to normal development of the fetus in the very early days of pregnancy. "

First..if they had bothered to read the book they would know that supplements are addressed and recommended in the book. Second...If they had bothered to read the book they would know that pregnant women are not encouraged to do induction or any of the other steps but maintenace. Third...even if you are not dieting you should be taking folic acid if you are pregnant and trying to concieve.

"Nancy Green, medical director of the March of Dimes, also expresses concern. She claims that people are fooled by media reports and eliminate carbohydrates without ensuring the replacement of essential micronutrients by eating more fruits and vegetables."

Nancy Green should be concerned...people are fooled by media reports...INACCURATE ones like this very article! I eat more vegies in a day now than I ever did in a week before....and fruit is coming...give me a break!!

"And if you think you can consume mega calories and burn them off by exercise, you're living in La La Land. Calories always beat exercise."
Ah..excuse me...on what page does Atkins say to pig out? And is she knocking exercise??

"You don't need a book to lose weight. Rather, start the day with low caloric fiber cereal. Purchase fewer packaged foods that contain excessive amounts of sugar, salt and calories. Consume more fruits and vegetables. Order a 6 rather than a 14 ounce steak. Eat more fish. Remember that milk is a thousand times better than sugar laden soft drinks. And wait 20 minutes before asking for a second helping. By that time the hunger reflex has usually dissipated.:
Well that is a high and mighty, condensending tone! What does this person think..that we haven't tried to control what goes in our mouths?? That we haven't tried it that way a thousand times before and couldn't do it?? I bet this person has never had to deal with a weight issue before...heaven forbid if one of their kids end up with one.

It surprises me that the media believes what it reads in the media, since it is apparent that none of them have read the book. Lazy! Go for the hype. A real shame that this kind of jounalism turns people away from trying to get control of their weight and so they continue to sit there and eat their Doritos and go through the drive through and feel helpless.

This saddens me.

[Jen111]

I just briefly scanned the article. It is a well-known fact that folic acid does prevent birth defects such as spina bifida. They add it to the white, refined junk products mentioned, but really, it is so easy to simply take folic acid every day. I won't go and eat copious amounts of that junk just to get my folic acid and hopefully nowadays women are told by their doctors that folic acid is ultra-important prior to and during pregnancy. Those birth defects are totally avoidable with adequate amounts of folic acid. When I was pregnant with my second baby, I must have been deficient in folic acid (even although I was on a high carb diet and ate lots of white bread), because I absolutely craved ruby red grapefruit (high in folic acid) and ate bags full of them. The minute I had my beautiful baby, the craving completely disappeared and I don't think I have eaten one since! I did warn people in my cookbooks to take folic acid.

It is also true that low-carb diets satiate better than low-fat diets and therefore helps people curb their calories naturally. It is also true that some people are actually able to eat more calories on a low-carb diet vs low-fat and still lose weight, as the late Dr. Atkins' called it a calorically wasteful diet.