Skip to main content

Atkins medical report - should not have gone public

By
The cardiologist who is accused of inappropriately getting a report on the death of Dr. Robert Atkins has said he never wanted the report to end up in the media.

According to the New York City medical examiner's office, Dr. Richard Fleming was sent a copy of the report when he asked for it (it was mistakenly sent).

The office thinks that Dr. Richard Fleming then gave it to Physicians for Responsible Medicine and they released the details (a few days ago).

Reports like this are only ever sent to a doctor who had been treating the patient. A spokeswoman for the New York medical examiner said that her department sent a letter to Nebraska health officials. The letter said that Fleming inappropriately got and distributed a copy of its report. Fleming denies this.



Fleming said that he clearly stated he was not a physician who had been treating Dr. Atkins or any family member.

The report contained details about Dr. Atkins weight and his medical history.

According to the report he died a fat man (quite obese). For someone who created a diet for staying slim this information could shock and puzzle people (it could make people think the whole diet is a sham).

He also had a history of heart problems (according to the report). As the Atkins diet claims to help heart conditions this information could further confuse and alarm people.

Fleming said that his interest was purely scientific. He wanted to gain insight into the health effects of the Atkins diet (low carbs, high fat and protein) which millions of people around the world are on. Atkins Diet books have sold over 15m copies.

Fleming said he felt betrayed as the information in the report was intended solely for research and not for the media.

However, Dr. Neal Barnard (President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) insists it was Fleming who took the initiative to contact his staff about the report.

Barnard said that Fleming was well aware that the report was being released to the press.

Barnard said that the intention was to stop the promotion of the Atkins Diet (the intention of releasing the information).

The Atkins Physicians said that Dr. Atkins heart condition was due to a viral infection (not the diet). It also said that he retained a lot of fluid while he was in a coma (for eight days) and this caused his weight to increase.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is too much soy bad for men?

By
While soy may be beneficial to women in a variety of ways, research in monkeys suggests that it could have an adverse effect on the behavior of men, according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Reporting in the current issue of the scientific journal Hormones and Behavior, the researchers found that in male monkeys, "long-term consumption of a diet rich in soy isoflavones can have marked influences on patterns of aggression and social behavior." Isoflavones are a naturally occurring plant estrogen in soy protein. "Although considerable attention has been directed at the potentially beneficial effects of isoflavones in reducing the risk of various cancers, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and postmenopausal symptoms, less effort has been invested in characterizing neurobehavioral effects," according to the study.
4 comments
Read more

Smoking and Weight Gain

By
One of the common fears associated with giving up smoking is that it will lead to uncontrolled weight gain. While it is true that some people can gain 9 kilos during the first year of abstinence, other more encouraging studies have shown that initial gains tend to peak after six months and that many people return to their normal body weight within twelve months of quitting the habit. For those potential quitters who are not confident that they would be capable of such a feat, comfort can be sought in the finding that ex-smokers who take up regular physical exercise have a greater chance of controlling their weight than those who remain sedentary. American researchers investigating the post-smoking gains of some 9000 women discovered that getting active was key to their weight control over the two-year period following cessation. The 'light' smokers (24 or less cigarettes a day) investigated who undertook 1-2 hours of energetic physical activity each week were found to gai...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mediterranean-Style Diet Reduces Cancer And Heart Disease Risk

By
People who eat a Mediterranean-style diet rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil and fish have at least a 25 percent reduced risk of dying from heart disease and cancer, researchers reported in a study being published today. For decades, scientists have had inklings that a diet that derives about 40 percent of its calories from healthy fat and about half from complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruit and vegetables, combined with daily exercise, could promote health and reduce premature death. But this is the first large trial of healthy men and women to demonstrate a significant reduction in death rates for heart disease, cancer and all other causes of mortality for those who follow a Mediterranean diet and are physically active.
Post a Comment
Read more