normal-eater said:It's amazing how much denial I read from Atkins followers. These
medical professionals are not just talking out of their asses.
It is almost an understatement to say Atkins has attracted criticism. This
is an entirely normal reception to a radically different theory. Atkins
does not strictly speaking constitute a paradigm shift, but many of the
same social factors are at work amongst the experts. It is to be expected
that established experts in an old way of thinking will reject a radically
different new one, frequently out of hand. During a period of paradigm
shift it is important to examine the pronouncements by the different
organisations and distinguish between them. Look for evidence-based
studies (e.g. "We have studied 200 individuals ..."😉, and avoid
opinion-based ones ("We experts believe that ..."😉. History demonstrates
that opinion-based studies are unreliable under these emotionally-charged
conditions.
Atkins was originally rejected out of hand by the existing experts,
claiming it was unhealthy and would not produce weight-loss. Even looking
too closely was tantamount to quackery by association, so for two
decades it went unstudied. Evidence-based studies eventually began in the
face of massive anecdotal evidence that weight-loss did occur, and
evidence-based studies have gradually undermined the establishment
experts, firstly demonstrating that short-term weight loss did occur, then
that it could be maintained, also showing that cholesterol did not rise as
predicted. The final unrefuted claim is that Atkins is not healthy for
long-term use. Supporters are confident that claim too will eventually be
contradicted.