A life-threatening complication of Atkins diet

Abstract

In February, 2004, we saw a 40-year-old obese white woman who complained of dyspnoea. 5 days earlier, her appetite had decreased, and she had felt nauseous and had since vomited four to six times daily. She became increasingly short of breath, and presented to us as an emergency. She had strictly followed the low-carbohydrate high-protein Atkins diet, eating meat, cheese, and salads for the previous month. She took vitamins recommended by the diet: chromium picolinate, Atkins Basic3 (multivitamins; Atkins Nutritionals, Inc, USA), Atkins Essential Oils (omega fatty acids), Atkins Dieters' Advantage (electrolytes and extracts), and Atkins Accel (a “thermogenic” formula). As instructed by the original Atkins diet book, 1 Atkins RC Dr Atkins' diet revolution. Bantam Books, New York1972 Google Scholar she monitored her urine twice daily, with dipsticks strongly positive for ketones. She reported a weight loss of about 9 kg over this 1-month period. Carbohydrates: how low can you go?In today's Lancet, Tsuh-Yin Chen and colleagues1 describe a patient admitted to hospital for ketoacidosis presumably as a result of following the Atkins low-carbohydrate diet. The Atkins diet can be appealing to overweight and obese individuals because it boasts good health and, most importantly, rapid weight loss without hunger in the first and most restrictive stage of the diet.2 This dangling carrot often provides the motivation needed to propel individuals to continue with a diet that they might otherwise quit within the first few days because of its significant restriction in food choices. Full-Text PDF