WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Atkins Dieter Sues Founder's Estate
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A Florida man is believed to be the first person to sue the estate of the late diet guru Dr. Robert Atkins, claiming the diet plan caused a series of cardiac problems, The New York Times reported.
Jody Gorran, 53, from Delray Beach, Fla., claims the diet boosted his blood cholesterol to unhealthy levels and caused his arteries to become clogged, requiring a medical procedure to open them, according to the newspaper account.
The suit challenges Atkins' assertions that followers could lose weight by eating atypically large amounts of meat and saturated fat, as long as they cut down on carbohydrates.
Gorran seeks $28,000 in damages from the estate and the company that still promotes the diet, Atkins Nutritionals. The suit claims the man's cholesterol was 146 before he began the diet, but within two months it shot up to 230, which is considered in the hazardous range. In October, after he had several bouts with chest pain, doctors found 99 percent blockage in a major artery, the suit contends. Before starting the diet, it said, tests indicated his arteries were clear.
Atkins Nutritionals issued a statement saying the company and Dr. Atkins' estate were standing by "the science that has repeatedly reaffirmed the safety and health benefits of Atkins," the newspaper reported.
The Times noted that Gorran was being assisted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, an advocacy group that supports a vegan dieting plan.
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