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COMMENTARY F ebruary 25, 2004 T he C lackamas P rint • 5 Atkins: diet crazy or health nightmare? How do you feel about it he Atkins Diet craze? Carb cutting can yield Health risks outweigh quick results for dieters aesthetic improvements reach their weight loss goals. For instance, Dateline NBC recently aired a special on dieters who used different programs to i T he C lackamas print lose weight in a 10-month period. One man, Gio, chose the Slim Fast The low-carb Atkins diet has plan—a low-fat, calorie-restrictive brought about a lot of controver diet. Another participant, Rick, sy, but many still adhere to it, and chose Atkins. for good reason—it works.. After 10 months, Rick had lost As many know, Atkins is a high- 100 pounds, more than any dieter protein, high-fat diet, and for this and felt great. Gio, on the other reason, it receives much bad press, hand, lost only 20 pounds. His “bat” in food is often associated closing remarks on the program with fat on the body; however, were that he could not wait to go there arc many different kinds of to IHOP and “order the whole left fat and many ways to consume it. side of the menu.” . The directions that Atkins gives •. Many who were unable to lose for consuming fat certainly docs weight using other programs as not cause it to be packed on the well as many celebrities have found hips, and new evidence suggests success with the Atkins diet, due to that it could also be helping dieters the fact that it leaves dieters feeling control their cholesterol. full and docs not increase insulin, According to USAtoday.com, a which stores fat. study was conducted by Dr. Eric Atkins dieters appreciate the Westman of Duke. University on option to eat as much cheese, meat 120 overweight volunteers who and no-carb fare as they want—no were randomly assigned either counting calories and no worries, low-fat or low-carb diets. as long as they stay away from the After six months, those on the carbs. 1 f they want a hamburge low-carb Atkins diet had lost 30 they just toss the bun. pounds on the average, as com For dieters, losing weight pared to the low-fat dieters’ aver without starving or harm age of 20 pounds. The .cholesterol ing themselves is the bot of those in both groups dropped tom line, and Atkins is slightly, but those on the Atkins the perfect choice. diet had an 11 percent increase of Dieters lose HDL (the good cholesterol) and a quickly and casi 49 percent. drop in triglycerides, without counting whereas those on the low-fat diet calories or fat had only a 22 percent drop in grams, while still triglycerides and no change in retaining the Hill. This refutes the cries of opportunity Atkins critics that it is unhealthy. to cat deli Not only may Atkins be health cious and ier than others, but dieters on fatty, yet Atkins can lose more weight more healthy quickly than those on any other foods. diet, making it one of the most efficient forms of weight loss. Dieters can lose up to 10 pounds in the first week. This eas ier weight loss allows dieters to lose much more weight than they would if they were on a low-fat or low-calorie diet. Other diets produce slow results. ■ Dieters can also become easily discouraged with the small amount of unappetizing fare allowed and quit before they ever INTERNET ■Br Shannon Hr*Armstead K “I’m a little skeptical. It doesn’t seem like it would work. I’m a vegetarian so it doesn’t really matter.” Bryce Adams “A lot of my friends are on that diet and it works. I don’t know what the long term effects will be on them.” Melody White “I guess it’s good for some people. But not good for those who can’t stay off the junk food.” Elizabeth Posvar “I eat home cooked meals. I think if you eat and work out, you’ll stay fit.” Chiefs’ Corner: Elvis Chiles Cory Price Co Editor-iri-Chicf “I think that Atkins was worthless, because carbs are supposed to be good for you. They give you energy, right?” Trogdon T he C lackamas P rint 19600 S Molalla Ave. Oregon City, OR 97045- (503) 657-6958 The Clackamas Print is a weekly student publication and is distributed every Wednesday except during finals week. Contrary to the belief'of some, tattoos can be a permanent declara tion for a Christian to show faith in God. Nothing is wrong with Christians getting a tattoo, but two questions must be answered. First, what is the purpose of the tattoo? Second, is it honoring God or an earthly posses sion? 1 have two tattoos. A cross over my heart symbolizes my personal commitment to God. It is a perma nent reminder of where God will always be, no matter where I go in life.. Co Editors-in-Chief: Cyndee Mady and Cory Prien Copy Editor: Katie l;unk News Editor: Karlin Johnson Opinion Editor: Ben Maras Feature Editor: Karen I lill A&E Editor: Isaiah Creel Sports Editor: Nie Delzell Ben Maras O pinion E ditor The latest fad in our diet- obsessed society is the low-carb, high-fat Atkins system, and it is raising more than eyebrows; it’s raising the mortality rate among dieters. So far, two deaths have been linked directly to Atkins. One vic tim was a previously healthy 16- ycar-old girl who went on the Atkins diet for two weeks. One day, the girl collapsed and died of heart failure, ending her alleged weight problems once and for all. Another was a 41-year-old father who went on the diet with no previous heart problems—lit tle did he know that he would be signing his death warrant. He also collapsed suddenly and died of .cardiac arrest. * Isn’t it ironic that both died from the same ailment as the allegedly-obese Dr. Robert I Atkins himself? It appears in |k this case that we have found the cure that kills the patient. In their first week, Atkins dieters are docu mented to have lost up to 10 pounds. Further analysis,. however, shows that the first week’s weight loss is. all water weight, due > the intense dehydration that occurs upon starting the pro gram. During he first weeks of the diet, the body goes into star- : vat ion mode, because it is just that—starved. The body begins to metabolize fat instead of glycogen, causing meta bolic rates to drop and making the body less efficient at burning the fat it docs take in. As a result, dieters on this program will gain weight faster than before as soon as they quit. The Atkins diet has been renounced by dietitians and doc tors for this very fact. Some hos pitals have even gone as far as banning Atkins among patients. The diet causes massive dietary imbalances, which, in the short run, can produce bad btcath, dehydration, constipation and extreme mental and physical fatigue. When polled, 42 percent of Atkins dieters reported a loss of energy. Thirty-one percent also reported an inability to concen trate, as welT as 22 percent that reported kidney problems and 20 percent that reported heart prob lems. Studies have also linked the diet to osteoporosis and cancer (namely cancer of the breast, colon and stomach). So with all these negative side effects, how did Dr. Atkins possi bly come to the conclusion that this diet was healthy? However he did so, what is known of his meth ods is now grossly outdated. His research from 1957 through 1975 was conducted’ with very small numbers of people (as few as seven) with no control group, and for as short a time as 14 days. One final point that must be addressed is the flawed logit of dieting. The idea of nearly starv ing oneself to lose weight is pre posterous. Once someone gets off the Atkins diet, back come the pounds. What is the answer? It’s what doctors and dietitians have been saying since long before Atkins, and probably will say for years to come: cat a balanced diet and get some exercise. Don’t cut out those sinfully delicious treats completely, just don’t eat them every day. Eat some vegetables every now and then, and go for a walk or two. Unlike Atkins, this is a diet program that one can follow for life ... without cutting it short. Tattoos should reflect Christian faith Gn my right forearm is the Greek letters Alpha and Omega based upon the book of Revelations which states, “Christ is the Beginning and the End.” Intertwined with Alpha and Omega is a chain of thorns. These thorns represent the pain and torment Jesus suffered for my sins. This tattoo publicly shows my bap tism in Christ; it is a personal display of the life that 1 have chosen to live. There arc many . arguments against tattooing one’s body, though none of them have any solid basis. Everyone interprets the Bible differ ently. Ixviticus 19:28 says, “You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: 1 am the LORD” Those against tattoos see this as a direct argument for their case. However, history explains this pas sage differently. It speaks about the pagans of the time who were creat ing idols of their bodies. If we are to take this verse literally, then every person who has a tattoo, piercing or anything else of their bodies, needs to remove them and create a body' that is free of alterations. The actual history of tattooing dates back to the Aborigines, who used tattoos to symbolize achieve ments in their faith. Tattoos of today hold a new purpose. Falling far from their past, tattoos have become a mainstream, pop culture thing to do. How silly and stupid have humans become? The world is at the point where the only way to show love is by tattooing a lover’s name on one’s body. Someone with such a marking, though, is going to wake up someday, look at that name and realize it was a stupid, perma nent mistake. Girls are getting butterflies tat tooed on the small of their backs. Men get the image of a naked woman imprinted on their bicep. Advertising Manager: Photographers: Truman Mark balling, ext. 2578 Photo Editor: Jesse Lamond Staff Writers: Shannon Armstead, Sara Atkeson, Amy Cashman, Faye Dodds, Frank Jordan, Jessica LeClaire, Bethany Monroe, Jeff Sörensen, Jadon Triplett Anderson, Angela Gerhart Adviser: Linda Vogt Department assistant: Lauren Vuylsteke These kinds of idolatry are what the Bible warns Christians against. First Corinthians 6:19-20 talks about a Christian’s body being a tem ple to the 1 x>rd, that it should be kept pure and glorifying to Him. Many Christians and non-Christians alike slam these words in my face, saying the verses are proof that tattoos arc a sin. The people that shout this are basing their claims on outdated views that arc no longer pertinent. I look down every morning at my arm and my chest and smile, know ing what life I have chosen to live. My tattoos are a permanent way to keep myself on the path of right eousness. So don’t criticize a Christian for a having a tattoo of Jesus, but instead point and laugh at a guy who has the name of a past fling imbedded on his back. And ladies, remember that during pregnancy, that tattoo will spread like pancake batter on a hot skillet. The Clackamas Print aims to report the news in an honest, unbiased, professional manner. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the student body, college administration, its faculty or Print. B-mail comments to chiefed@clackamas.edu. Goals: The Clackamas Print © 2004
