The South Beach Diet

The Danger Of Ketosis Generated By South Beach Diet Phase One

By Joel Fuhrman M.D.


The amount of unscientific and false claims on this popular diet was remarkable, especially concerning, because the book was written and is promoted by a cardiologist, Arthur Agatston.

Bad advice and guidance about food and nutrition should not be taken lightly.  People die needlessly from inaccurate and improper advice, and this diet has a few features that make it one of the most dangerous ever, maybe even be more dangerous than Atkins’.  Even worse that he was a cardiologist, promoting it to heart patients.

The biggest risk is associated with Agatston’s advice is the ketosis promoting induction phase.  It is well established in the medical literature that carbohydrate restricted, high-protein diets can cause electrolytes deficiencies from enhanced urinary excretion, especially the loss of potassium that can lead to a cardiac arrthymia and sudden cardiac death. (Footnote 1)  

The risk of death is heightened the first few weeks of beginning such a diet. (Footnote 2)   Medical journal articles have documented such deaths from people following ketogenic diets, including the death of a healthy 16 year old girl starting the diet with her mother two weeks before her death. (Footnote 3)  continue reading...