ASK IT
Heading for a heart attack
March 4, 2010
The You Docs
Q: I have a lifelong friend who believes that the Atkins diet is the only way to lose weight and "lead a healthy lifestyle." He eats hamburgers, bacon, steaks, roast beef, shrimp, drinks excessively, sleeps 12 to 15 hours a day, then sits and watches TV all day. Can you help me save a friend?
A: That's not the current Atkins diet, nor is that a healthy lifestyle. That's the heart-attack diet, and your friend is what we'd call pre-op – a future cardiac patient. Apparently your friend hasn't gotten the memo: The latest version of the Atkins diet has come a long way since it boosted sales of pork rinds in the early part of the decade.
Today Atkins followers are encouraged to choose fish and vegetable protein, as well as get carbs from vegetables.
Is it the best diet for weight loss? There are many avenues to dropping pounds. In general, low-carb diets have been shown in studies to be effective in helping people lose weight, in part because a diet rich in protein and low in sugars and starches kills your appetite faster than a slasher flick.
But your friend can find a smarter way to slimming success using lean non-red meats or by going on an "eco-Atkins" diet that replaces meat with vegetable proteins. The best reason to change his ways: saturated fat. It turns on genes that cause inflammation in his arteries and affects his immune system, making heart attacks and cancer more likely. So tell your friend that his lifestyle isn't just ruining his doc's day, it's cutting short his own life. Be a pal: Tell him the You Docs said so.
For more You Docs advice, see their website www.realage.com.
Toronto Star
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