Atkins diet

There is no strong evidence of the diet's effectiveness in achieving durable weight loss; it is unbalanced as it promotes unlimited consumption of protein and saturated fat, and it may increase the risk of heart disease.

[9] Because of its high saturated fat content the Atkins diet may increase the risk of heart disease.

[1][11] In 2000, Journal of the American College of Nutrition conducted a study which determined that “the very high fats of Atkins diet: 60%–68%, around 26% of which are saturates, through shifting the metabolic pathway for energy production, deliver a strong boost to free radical production, thereby increasing oxidative stress on different organs”.

[1] It promotes the consumption of meat, cheese, eggs and other high-fat foods such as butter, mayonnaise and sour cream in unlimited amounts whilst bread, cereal, pasta and other carbohydrates are forbidden.

A review study published in Lancet[19] concluded that there was no such metabolic advantage and dieters were simply eating fewer calories.

[22] In 2017, Roark Capital Group announced that it would merge Atkins Nutritionals with Conyers Park Acquisition Corp to form a public company called Simply Good Foods.

Around that time, the percentage of American adults on the diet declined to two percent and sales of Atkins brand products fell steeply in the second half of 2004.

[26] A 2021 review article observed that, 50 years after it was first mooted, the Atkins diet was "coming back on the quackery scene again".

This was due to the inclusion of recipes with some high-cost ingredients such as lobster tails which were put in the book to demonstrate the variety of foods which could be consumed on the diet.

[29][30] Gorran stated that he had followed the Atkins diet for two years and it raised his LDL-cholesterol so much that a major artery became clogged and he required an angioplasty and stent insertion to open it.