Newswise — The Atkins diet has revolutionalized the dieting trend. According to Knight Ridder, an estimated 17 million Americans are currently following a formal low-carb diet and another 42 million are cutting back on carbohydrates. The success of this diet seems to be attributed to a multitude of factors, the most important being that individuals can eat many of the foods that they love and scientific research has shown that the Atkins diet can result in weight loss.
Experts at Kansas State University in psychology, marketing, agricultural economics, grain science, and food and nutrition are available to discuss their various perspectives of this diet trend.
PSYCHOLOGY -- Leon Rappoport, According to Leon Rappoport, emeritus professor of psychology at K-State, it's the availability of what he calls "comfort foods" that has sent this diet to the top.
"In life when we want to reward ourselves, we turn back to the foods we generally find attractive," he said. "Atkins provides a justification and a kind of authorization for people to remain eating the foods that they like and usually in the quantities that they like. I've not seen any other reason for the success of this diet."
The Atkins diet seems to be a product of a mixed-message society, Rappoport said. The government and medical field encourage moderation and a healthy, balanced diet, while the food industry sends out the message of, "Eat and enjoy."
"You're really up against all sorts of powerful social pressures that encourage overeating and indulgence in fatty food," he said. "We have this kind of social and cultural schizophrenia going."
MARKETING -- Swinder Janda, The sharing of success stories has also played an important role in the diet's success, according to Swinder Janda, associate professor of marketing at K-State.
"Initial success has been because of the word-of-mouth," he said. "I think that's the best form of advertising."
Most people don't trust television advertisements, Janda said. But they do believe the testimonials they hear from people in the workplace or community around them.
Janda also said the Atkins diet plays into our culture's desire for a quick fix.
"I think the one reason why this diet is more popular than several other diets is because people want to lose weight in our culture and don't want to put time into exercise," he said. "This is an easy way to make a lifestyle change."
Janda also noted the commercial aspects of the diet, using examples of the many restaurants featuring low-carb menus and supermarkets selling low-carb options. According to Janda, the additional support from the commercial industries has only helped to increase the popularity of the diet.
"I think a trend like this has to get into the mainstream -- restaurants, food chains, grocery stores -- to really take off," he said.
AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS -- James Mintert, It seems that food distributors are not the only ones profiting from the Atkins diet.
Beef demand in the United States has been increasing in recent years, said James Mintert, professor of agricultural economics at K-State.
Mintert recently calculated that beef demand during the fourth quarter 2003 was 10 percent higher than during fourth quarter 2002. And despite the recent report of bovine spongiform encephalitis, or Mad Cow disease, in Washington state, domestic consumer demand appears to be holding up well.
"Obviously, the beef industry is reaping the benefits of the diet," Mintert said. "The increase in beef demand has helped make producers more optimistic about the future. They love it."
The question, however, is just how much of that increase should be attributed to the Atkins diet.
"It's not the only factor driving the beef demand," he said. "What we're seeing is a reversal of a long-term trend." Mintert said although the Atkins diet has had a positive impact on the trend, other factors include introduction of new easy-to-prepare beef items to the market and the recent rebound of the U.S. economy.
The demand reversal began in 1998 after a nearly 20-year slump that resulted in beef demand declining about 50 percent. Since 1998, beef demand has improved markedly. Beef demand index calculations reveal that beef demand during 2003 was about 16 percent higher than during 1998.
Mintert said growth in the beef industry driven by the Atkins diet is positive, but he remains skeptical as to how long it will last.
"As this continues to spread through the population, the No. 1 question that I have is: How long are people going to stay on this diet?" he said. "That's got to be one of the leading question marks as we move forward."
GRAIN SCIENCE -- Dale Eustace,While the beef industry and food distributors are benefiting from the Atkins diet, the grain industry is feeling the effects of waning popularity of carbohydrates.
"In the milling industry we've noticed that the flour consumption per capita has dropped 3-4 pounds in the last three years," said Dale Eustace, professor of grain science and industry at K-State. With more than 300 million people in the United States, this means a decrease in flour demand.
Many people are losing the proven health benefits of whole grains by cutting carbs, Eustace said. Benefits include prevention of heart disease, cancer and liver problems.
Eustace said he believes the diet will be short-lived. But even if this proves true, he said, the grain industry is being forced to take action to keep consumption from continuing to drop.
"The grain industry has got to educate the population and get their perspective out there, too," he said. The Kansas Wheat Commission and Wheat Council are already working on educational programs and advertising, Eustace said.
The grain industry is also adjusting marketing strategies to cater to the low-carb demand.
"Baking companies are working on ways to decrease the carbs in bread," he said. "The big groups, like Sara Lee, are jumping on this.
FOODS AND NUTRITION -- Sandy Procter, The Atkins diet is an area that is drawing much attention from many within the health industry, said Sandra Procter, registered dietitian and associate with K-State Research and Extension.
"The Atkins diet goes against much established research of how our bodies need and use food for fuel," she said. "While certainly all answers about weight loss and high protein diets are not known, there is ample evidence that carbohydrates are an essential part of a varied, healthy diet.
"Recent research published in the New England Journal of Medicine did show that there was greater weight loss on an Atkins-type diet than on a traditional low-calorie diet after three months," Procter said. "At six months and 12 months, there was no difference in weight loss between the two groups."
The potential long-term effects of the diet are of particular focus, both from a health perspective and a weight loss aspect. The Atkins study, Procter said, found that the diet may result in greater initial weight loss, but not long-term weight loss. The diet's long-term safety remains to be seen.
"Most nutrition professionals remain concerned about the health effects of such an unbalanced diet over an extended period of time," Procter said. "If the diet is closely followed for a longer duration, the person may experience health effects including constipation, fatigue, increased risk of heart disease and kidney problems. There is simply no research that supports the safety of a low-carb weight loss diet for any length of time."
Procter said that most Americans don't follow traditional nutrition advice when selecting what to eat.
"We typically don't eat as the Food Guide Pyramid suggests," she said. "So it has become pretty easy to cast that pattern side as not working and embrace the next diet 'brass ring' that has come along. But for weight loss that lasts, that is probably not the route to go."
It seems the Atkins diet will leave a lasting impression. According to Forbes.com, analysts predict that the low-carb movement will continue through 2004 and then gradually decline, but that the number of people limiting carbs will actually rise.
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