Dieters dine out on dead diet guru

By Robert Uhlig, July 20 2003, The Sun-Herald

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Hollywood celebrities swear by it and only Harry Potter is more popular. The grip on Britain of the Atkins "meat and a few veg, but no starch" diet is revealed today in sales figures showing the late doctor's books outselling other non-fiction bestsellers by three to one.

The merits of the high protein, high fat, low carbohydrate regime devised by Dr Robert Atkins in the late 1960s may have been widely derided by nutritionists and scientists, but its ability to shed kilograms rapidly has won the support of millions of dieters.

Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Minnie Driver and Stephen Fry have all extolled Atkins's teachings.

The twin bibles of his disciples, Dr Atkins' Diet Revolution and New Diet Revolution, have been tucked into the shelves of nearly 15 million dieters.

For an insignificant financial investment, these books promise very significant weight loss. As a result, the paperback version of New Diet Revolution is selling at the rate of 30,000 a week in Britain - three times more than any other book bar the latest Harry Potter.

But this season's non-fiction publishing success has a downside that goes far beyond the bad breath, constipation, weakness, cramps and culinary boredom that usually afflict Atkins dieters.

More worryingly, scientists say the Atkins regime could be creating a time bomb of widespread heart disease, kidney failure, bowel cancer, osteoporosis, strokes, muscle wastage and high cholesterol.

But of most concern is a US study which found that, despite initial weight loss, after a year there was no difference between the Atkins dieters and those using more conventional diets.