Weight Loss Traps: The Rise and Fall of the Atkins Protein Diet and the Truth

2.1.2 The "Traps" of the Protein Diet

From 1978 to 1988, a weight loss method was extremely popular in the United States. It was called the "Atkins diet," which, simply put, was a meat-eating diet. It involved not eating rice or fatty meat, but only lean meat.

Atkins, a thoracic surgeon, had his book ranked number one on the US bestseller list for three consecutive years. He later started a company producing various types of lean meat, which became a hit in supermarkets and even on television. Many overweight people started eating meat and experienced significant weight loss, making the "Atkins Diet" a phenomenon that swept the US for a decade. The Atkins diet restricts carbohydrate intake to shift the body's metabolism from glucose-burning metabolism to fat-burning metabolism, which uses stored body fat as fuel. This process (called ketone metabolism, distinct from ketosis) is initiated when insulin levels are low; insulin levels are also at their lowest in a normal body when blood sugar levels are low (primarily before meals). After meals, carbohydrates (such as glucose or starch, forming glucose chains) produce most of the blood sugar, which can be calculated. Because fiber is difficult to digest, it produces almost no energy and has little impact on glucose and insulin levels. Ketone metabolism involves the breakdown of lipids, in which certain lipids stored in fat cells are converted into blood.

In his book, *Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution*, Atkins presents a controversial argument: generally speaking, low-carbohydrate foods have a metabolic advantage over regular foods, allowing the body to burn more calories. He cites a study estimating this advantage at 950 kcal (4.0 MJ) per day. Another researcher, Professor Astrup, states, "A simple diet can suppress appetite and reduce food intake." The Atkins diet restricts "refined carbohydrates" (easily digestible carbohydrates that affect blood sugar). Pure carbohydrate content can be calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (which have a smaller impact on blood sugar levels) from the total carbohydrates in a food. Each gram of sugar alcohol contains approximately two calories, while the American Diabetes Association recommends that diabetics consider each gram of sugar alcohol to be half a gram of carbohydrate. Fructose (found in many industrial sweeteners) contains four calories per gram; however, it has a very low glycemic index and does not trigger insulin production, perhaps because cells have low concentrations of readily convertible monosaccharide transporter 5 (GLUT5).

Across all categories, the preferred foods are low-glycemic index, natural, and unprocessed, although restrictions on low-sugar carbohydrates (black rice, vegetables, etc.) differ from restrictions on high-sugar carbohydrates (sugar, white bread, etc.). Atkins Nutrition, which aims to promote foods that make the Atkins diet effective, states that saturated fat intake should not exceed 20% of total calorie intake.

However, by the end of the 20th century, Atkins had died of a heart attack and was secretly buried. His company continued operating, continuing to sell lean meat. In 1990, the mayor of New York City, who attended his funeral, wrote an article in his memoir titled "Atkins was a big fraud," describing what he saw at Atkins' funeral as a large, sluggish body. Atkins' cardiovascular system was blocked by atherosclerotic plaques, primarily composed of fat, clearly indicating that he himself had not used this weight loss method. After the mayor's book was published and reprinted by the media, lean meat sales plummeted in supermarkets across the United States, and Atkins' book fell from the top of the bestseller lists. From then on, this weight loss method was completely ignored in the United States.

Therefore, consuming excessive amounts of saturated fat and animal protein is detrimental to health, posing risks to the cardiovascular system and causing endocrine disorders. Furthermore, research indicates that a meat-only diet for weight loss can also lead to depression. If pregnant women adhere to this dietary habit, it can negatively impact the fetus, increasing the child's risk of developing high blood pressure later in life.

Is protein a nutrient or waste? When the body is deficient in protein, it's a nutrient; when the body has enough, it's waste. For example, a normal human body needs 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day; a 50kg person needs 50 grams, which is equal to one tael (approximately 50 grams). Chicken, duck, fish, eggs, milk, and soy milk all contain protein. Everyone can obtain one tael of protein from food. Even the coarseest proteins are easily broken down into amino acids. When excess protein is transferred to the kidneys-the protein waste processor-it will be excreted.

After the kidneys excrete protein, the glomeruli reabsorb it back into the kidneys. The kidneys then excrete it again, and the glomeruli reabsorb it again. This process repeats continuously, requiring the kidneys to work tirelessly. Eventually, when they can no longer function, they don't simply shut down; instead, they issue warning signals, such as chronic pyelonephritis, indicated by three "+" signs of protein in the urine. If you continue to supply the kidneys with unnecessary protein and force them to work excessively, kidney failure will occur. The sign of kidney failure is elevated creatinine levels, which can only be detected in the blood, and ultimately, uremia.

In other words, you should not exceed your body weight's required protein intake in a day. Eating more is useless. If you eat five eggs a day without doing bodybuilding training, the extra four eggs will actually increase the burden on your kidneys.