Since 1972, when "Dr Atkin's Diet Plan Revolution"
by Dr Robert Atkins (an American heart specialist) was originally
published, over 20 million people have tried the Dr Atkins diet
plan. This low carb diet plan was updated and republished in 1992
as the "Dr Atkin's New Diet Plan Revolution", and is
still extremely popular today.
Dr Robert Atkins found that the diet he devised for his patients
not only improved their heart conditions - it had the unexpected
but welcome side effect of reducing their weight without calorie
restriction.
Dr Atkins realised that the carbohydrate restriction was forcing
the body to 'change gear' and start preferring its fat stores
to the food taken in as a source of energy (lipolysis). This breakdown
of fat stores produces ketones and is referred to as being 'in
ketosis'*. The body excretes any ketones which are surplus to
requirements, hence the ability to determine whether the body
has started using its fat stores for energy by testing the urine
for ketones. Weight lost under these conditions is mostly from
the body's fat stores, rather than lean muscle as tends to happen
with low calorie/low fat/high carb diets. (Any diet, Atkins included,
will tend to produce water loss in the first few days.)
*This type of ketosis is commonly confused with, but has nothing
to do with the ketosis that can occur in uncontrolled type 1 diabetics.
In the latter case, there is no insulin to regulate the level
of ketones in the blood and a build-up can lead to the serious
condition of acidosis. In everyone else, insulin keeps the level
of ketones in the blood within a fairly narrow range and if more
are being produced than the body can use, they are simply excreted.
