Bernell DorroughResearchers at Washington University are developing a vaccine for “Mad Carb Disease”-at least according to a farcical column in the Post-Dispatch last week, which criticized people who go to extremes while on the Atkins or South Beach diets.
The St. Louis Bread Company announced it would change its name to “The St. Louis Company” to counter anti-bread sentiments, teased Post reporter Jeff Daniel.
While the column’s focus was not factual, however, the increasing popularity of such diets is no joke.
In the past few years, “low-carb” diets have emerged as the newest trend in weight loss and have produced results quickly and, some dieters say, easily for many Americans. The New York Times reported that 3.5% of approximately 10 million Americans have been on a low-carb diet.
This may have to do with the fact that 61% of adults in America are clinically overweight or obese, as reported by a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Obesity has created a multi-billion-dollar industry around weight loss products and diets, the most popular of which are the Atkins and South Beach diets.
“I heard about it from a bunch of people-it’s widely publicized-then went to the library and checked out several books,” said freshman Jerry Specker, who tried the Atkins diet over winter break. “There were a couple other things it helped besides weight loss, like high blood pressure, [which] I have.”
Both programs boast of inducing rapid weight loss, as well as helping to prevent heart disease, which the American Heart Association reports is the number one killer of adults. Since its publication in 1972, Atkins’ book has sold over 15 million copies across the country, resulting in the diet’s enormous success.
Dr. Arthur Agatston, founder of the newer South Beach diet, distinguishes it from Atkins’ by claiming that the diet simply teaches people what the “right” carbs for weight loss are. The South Beach diet recommends certain meals, while the Atkins diet focuses on maintaining a certain level of carbohydrate intake but otherwise gives the dieter complete freedom in food selection.
“For me, Atkins worked the best because I had more freedom in deciding what I wanted to eat,” said sophomore Bryan Clary. “As long as I kept my carbs below a certain level, I could eat whatever I wanted and still lose weight.”
Sophomore Deirdre O’Rourke, who tried the South Beach diet for a week, feels that low-carb dieting severely limited her food options.
“It seemed to be more useful than any kind of exercise would be, [but] it was awful,” she said. “Everything has carbs-it’s ridiculous! The first day I was like, ‘I’m going to be good and have an apple,’ but they have carbs! It’s ridiculous to think you’re going to give up carbs altogether.”
The first phase of both diets shocks the body by virtually eliminating carbs. In the Atkins diet’s first phase, for example, the carb count is set at 20 grams per day. In comparison, the Institute of Medicine reports that a typical potato has 26 grams of carbs and a glass of orange juice has 8 grams.
“It was harder the first couple of days-it’s a lot of will power. But once you get yourself into the routine of not even looking at the cookies or whatever, it’s easier,” said Specker. “It’s helpful once you find out what foods you can eat. You can find good stuff to eat that doesn’t have very many carbs.”
Restaurants and fast food establishments are now helping weight-watchers stick to their dietary regimes: KFC, Applebee’s, Ruby Tuesday’s, T.G.I. Friday’s, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Subway have introduced low-carb options.
On campus, Subway is just one option for students on low-carb diets.
“Center Court makes it easy to find no-carb options with the salads. On main campus, I go to Subway for subs without the bread and Taco Bell for tacos without the shells,” said sophomore Megan McCain, who just started the South Beach Diet.
However, there are potential risks involved with such dieting. Various doctors have reported that when dieters only allow their bodies a fraction of the recommended number of carbs, their metabolic rates are significantly lower. This makes any sudden increase in carbs result in almost immediate weight gain. Skeptics of low-carb diets have also maintained they produce ketosis-a condition that increases water loss rather than loss of fat and contributes to bad breath.
“Carbohydrates are important to health: they provide the best source of fuel, a variety of vitamins and minerals, and they are the only source of phytochemicals, compounds that seem to help with disease prevention and health promotion,” said University Nutritionist Connie Diekman.
While Specker lost 13 pounds on the Atkins diet, he recognizes its potential health concerns as well.
“[Doctors] have always told you to eat fruits and vegetables-but with Atkins, in the early stages, you aren’t supposed to eat any fruit,” he said. “I took vitamins while I was on the diet to supplement that. It gets you drinking a lot of water, though, which is good.”