FOOLING AROUND WITH ATKINS CAN BE DEADLY --ATKINS V.P.

Collette Heimowitz, vice president of Atkins Health and Medical Information Services, told the BBC that anyone on the Atkins Diet must "follow the programme to the letter" to avoid the risk of side effects, and that it could in fact be "deadly" to mix high carbohydrate foods with high fat foods. She was reacting to a BBC show in which three doctors followed the diet for a month: One of the doctors was hospitalised and given morphine to control chronic stomach pains. He had to be fed intravenously. Another found that her levels of "bad" cholesterol had risen above a clinically safe level. Nigel Denby, a dietician who closely monitored the health of the three doctors as they followed the diet, said "The nature of the diet can affect the way bones use calcium. This, in turn, can lead to an increased risk of developing kidney stones. [Atkins-style diets] have been associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis. If followed for a prolonged period of time, high protein, low carb diets can actually be harmful to your health." Say, didn't that guy Atkins follow the diet for a prolonged period of time? Oh yeah...