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NEW YORK, February 11, 2004
A city medical examiner's report
filed after Atkins' 2003 death from a fall showed the 6-foot
doctor was at a weight
considered obese by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A physicians group that is highly critical of the diet released
details of the report, claiming the Atkins diet led to weight
and heart troubles for its 72-year-old creator.
Atkins' allies
immediately disputed that contention.
The Atkins Physicians
Council said Atkins gained more than 60 pounds through fluid
retention in the eight days he spent in a coma before dying
last April. He had slipped on an icy street and hit his head.
Atkins, who earned his undergraduate degree at the University
of Michigan, weighed 195 pounds when he was admitted, the group's
chairman said. By CDC guidelines, Atkins would be considered
overweight at 195 pounds.
"Critically ill patients, when sustained
on fluids in the hospital, gain weight," said Dr. Stuart Trager,
chairman of the Atkins Physicians Council, a group affiliated
with the Atkins diet empire.
The medical examiner's report
also noted that Atkins had a history of heart trouble, including
congestive heart failure and high blood pressure. The Wall
Street Journal first reported on the records Tuesday.
The doctor's
heart troubles had been previously known publicly, and the
council asserted Tuesday that they were a result of cardiomyopathy,
or an enlarged heart, which it said stemmed from a viral infection.
Atkins was the author of the best-selling "Dr. Atkins' New
Diet Revolution," which was first published in 1972 and advocates
meat, eggs and cheese and shuns carbohydrates such as bread,
rice and fruit. His books sold 15 million copies and attracted
millions of followers.
Copyright © 2004 Detroit Free Press Inc.
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