The South Beach Diet

The Danger Of Ketosis Generated By South Beach Diet Phase One

By Joel Fuhrman M.D.

 
A diet program is valuable only if it results in you making healthful changes that you stick with forever.  For any diet to claim it is “heart healthy,” it must reduce both refined carbohydrate and animal products in favor of greens, vegetables, beans, seeds, nuts, whole grains and fresh fruit. 

Agatston and his South Beach Diet does a disservice to America.  He uses his credentials as a cardiologist to market the false promise that an unhealthy diet is heart healthy, while he displays a very superficial knowledge-base in nutrition and nutrition science.
 
Those who want true long-term weight reduction and cardiac protection must adopt a diet predominating in fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts.  Nature’s high antioxidant and phytochemical rich foods show a remarkable ability to protect us against a wide range of chronic disease as well as lowering cholesterol and preventing heart disease. 

PEERtrainer Editorial Note: The views expressed by Dr. Joel Fuhrman are his own, and we work to present a wide variety of opinions and observations. Other MD's who provide input into this site have not yet expressed this concern. Above all we value healthy debate on these complicated issues. We would observe however that if someone is looking for a safe and structured diet program both the Weight Watchers Momentum Program and Eat For Health are getting good feedback from both users and experts. We have also looked into outside references from this view and have found other medical studies pointing to sudden cardiac death associated with a ketogenic diet.

Article Citations and Footnotes:

 1. Nichola JD, Cohen HW, Wylie-Rosett J, et al. Serum potassium changes with initiating low-carbohydrate compared to a low-fat weight loss diet in type 2 diabetes.  Southern Medical Journal 2008;101(1):46-49.
  2. Bank IM, Shemie SD, Rosenblatt B, et al. Sudden cardiac death in association with the ketogenic diet. Pediatric Neurology 2008;39(6).
  3. Stevens A, Robinson P,Turpin J, et al. Sudden Cardiac Death of an Adolescent During Dieting. South Med J 2002;95(9):1047-1049.
  4. Zheng AJ, Croft J, Giles WL. Et al. Sudden cardiac death jump among teens, young adults – biggest increase in women. American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2000.
  5. Best TH, Franz DN, Gilbert DL, et al. Cardiac complications in pediatric patients on the ketogenic diet. Neurology 2000;54(12):2328-30.