Amazon.com Review
Dump the food pyramid that the American Dietetics Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Institutes of Health, and the American Cancer Society all implore you to follow for the sake of your health. Take antioxidant supplements (but skip most of the foods that naturally contain these nutrients). Eat a high-protein diet that has received the thumbs-down from major medical and nutrition experts and associations and has been deemed especially dangerous for women, as it depletes the body's calcium stores. If you believe that Dr. Atkins somehow knows better than all those experts and organizations, here's his latest--a plan to defy aging through eating a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet, taking lots of supplements, optimizing your hormones, detoxifying your body through chelation therapy, exercising, and taking brain-boosters like ginkgo biloba. Free radicals, insulin resistance, sugar--these are the reasons we age, get sick, and get fat, insists Atkins, not dietary fat. Eggs are good for you. The cholesterol you eat does not affect the cholesterol in your blood, he says. He scoffs at "the unholy alliance among the American Heart Association, American Medical Association, American Diabetes Association, and U.S. government in its many manifestations (FDA, Department of Agriculture, NIH, et al.)." One wonders why Atkins thinks all these medical organizations would band together to promote an unhealthy diet and not herald Atkins as a genius if, indeed, he had the answer.
From Publishers Weekly
The author of Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution argues here that the use of supplements and a change in diet can eliminate many health problems, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke. Most diets focus on reducing the consumption of fat rather than cutting back on sugar; according to Atkins, people should reconsider their intake of both. Along with an explanation of how the body processes chemicals, Atkins examines the negative impact of carbohydrates, explaining that their refining "is in reality the greatest unacknowledged cause of death in world history." He discusses the equally damaging impact of free radicals and offers advice on which supplements everyone should be taking, including Vitamin C, Vitamin E and lipoic acid, among others. The actual diet portion of the book is only about 70 pages and does not include a meal-by-meal plan or caloric charts, omissions serious dieters will notice. Instead, Atkins continues to promote the two key principles--everyone, regardless of their weight, must reduce the amount of carbohydrates they consume, and everyone should also eat a variety of antioxidants, primarily from vegetables, fruits and supplements. Atkins's philosophy on taking supplements and eating a range of foods is sound, though other physicians may well question the doses he recommends. Author tour.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
His first book since the best-selling New Diet Revolution.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
With boomers rapidly marching into their fifties, Atkins is waiting, offering hints on how to fake out Father Time. Readers who have joined Atkins' previous revolutions will find much that's familiar, but the focus here is "holding back aging" by preventing "diseases of westernization," particularly heart disease and diabetes. Atkins argues that "the key to aging" is hyperinsulinism and that carbohydrates, both simple and complex, contribute to this condition. In addition, he discusses the (now familiar) idea that free radicals damage the body and must be countered by antioxidants via diet or supplementation. He explains antioxidant enzymes, carotenoids, and bioflavonoids and the difference between good and "really bad" fats, urging readers to "Build Your Immunity," "Detoxify Your Body," and (inevitably) "Exercise!" Based on past performance, Atkins' traditional complementary medicine approach to the terrors of growing old should have wide appeal. Hardly an easy read but, with lists and charts that readers can copy and take to the health-food store (guggulipid? boswellia?), Atkins' latest will circulate. Mary Carroll
About the Author
Robert C. Atkins, M.D., is a cardiologist and the founder and medical director of the Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine in New York City. He is the bestselling author of Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, as well as many other highly successful health books. A graduate of the University of Michigan, he received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical School. He lives in New York with his wife Veronica.
