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.
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Mark balling, ext. 2578
Photo Editor: Jesse Lamond
Staff Writers: Shannon
Armstead, Sara Atkeson, Amy
Cashman, Faye Dodds, Frank Jordan,
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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
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