Press Release Source: Atkins Health and Medical Information Services

Statement on PCRM Activities From Atkins Nutritionals, Inc.

Thursday May 27, 10:52 am ET

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040527/nyth093_1.html

NEW YORK, May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from a spokesperson for Atkins Nutritionals, Inc.:

Atkins generally doesn't comment on litigation. But in this case, we must pose some questions before this story gets out of hand. Even today's New York Times article raises the possibility that, as the science certainly would suggest, this case has no merit. Further, PCRM and the complainant suggest that the lawsuit is just for publicity. We should not let the real issue, providing people with a scientifically validated nutritional choice in the face of a worldwide obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemic, be manipulated by this extremist animal rights vegan group.

PCRM, a well-known extreme vegan and animal rights group, has a long history of initiating these kinds of scare tactics that are designed to convince the American public to stop eating animal protein of any sort. Furthermore, PCRM has been featuring Mr. Gorran and his various allegations on its website for quite a while. It has been reported publicly that PCRM has been investigated by Justice Department and the American Medical Association.

We have to ask some questions here: Why does anyone take PCRM seriously and allow this group, with its' animal rights agenda, to divert us all from the real enemy: the obesity and diabetes crisis in this country? Why is PCRM, an organization with less than 5% of its membership actual physicians, even viewed as a legitimate participant in the nutrition debate? Shouldn't the nutrition discussion be focused on science? Atkins was asked for science and for three years we've been delivering it. So faced with science and fact, PCRM has retreated to scare tactics.

Why isn't the nutrition debate focusing on the comments from Harvard's Dr. Walter Willett, one of the world's leading nutrition experts, who recently said that after reviewing all the science on low carb (and these are all studies that followed Atkins protocols), "We can no longer dismiss very-low- carbohydrate diets." Or why aren't we focusing on the words of Dr. Sylvan Weinberg, MD, MACC who in a recent article published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, called for medical professionals to recognize the validity of low-carbohydrate/high-protein diets like Atkins in the fight against heart disease. Dr. Weinberg asserted that it is no longer reasonable to accept or endorse on faith alone the superiority of the low-fat, high- carbohydrate approach to coronary health. And why isn't this discussion including science conducted by Harvard, Duke, University of Pennsylvania, The National Institutes of Health and even the American Heart Association?

As always Atkins stands by the science that has repeatedly reaffirmed the safety and health benefits of the Atkins Nutritional Approach. As recently as last week, two new studies were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine confirming the safety and benefits of Atkins as well as demonstrating, even when compared to low fat diets, that Atkins provides improvements in major cardiovascular risk factors. These findings repeat what has been consistently and without exception seen in 25 other studies over the past three years

PCRM and its cronies do a great disservice to the cause of good health in this country by repeatedly manipulating the media to confuse and mislead the American public.
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Source: Atkins Health and Medical Information Services

I have not noticed Marian Burros having a strong anti low carb bias, or at least not as strong as her colleague, Jane Brody, who once wrote a book specifically in favor of high carb eating.

hear! hear!

The thing here is, PCRM is spitting in the wind and they know it. The tactics here will scare a few, for a while. But they can't change the overwhelming truth that low carbohydrate diets work, are safe, and are spreading.

The "craze" may end, but this has been a quiet revolution built on one person's success inspiring another, which is how I found low carb. Mass media manipulation didn't get it to this point, and mass media manipulation can't stop it.

Have fun, PCRM; lie, manipulate, throw mud. It won't matter. You know that you can't win because the personal nature of the way this way of eating became popular isn't affected by it.

What I find interesting is that Jody Gorran (the complainent) had tests to determine the state of his cardiac health more than 6 months prior to starting low carb.
I have to ask why a man, who appeared to be in otherwise good health (low cholesterol readings, not more than a few pounds overweight) was having such studies? Tests that show whether your cardiac arteries are clear or not are not inexpensive (angiogram, thallium stress test, etc...), nor are they routinely done.
Obviously it wasn't in preparation for beginning low carb since it was more than 6 months before he started, so....why?
Tests of that type aren't generally ordered unless the person has other risk factors that lead the doctor to question the status of the patient's cardiac system.
BTW...a total cholesterol of 230 (I notice that they carefully excluded giving the actual breakdowns of the fractions) is not "dangerously high" by any standards that I'm aware of. Elevated, yes, but not dangerously high and if your HDL is also high along with a lowered triglyceride level, the risk may actually be lower. Add to that the statistic that more than half of those that develop cardiac blockages have normal cholesterol levels and it becomes weak evidence in asserting that "Atkins" caused his blockage. Correlation does not prove causation. Also, having a total cholesterol of 146 is not necessarily something to crow about; those with levels under 160 are at risk for other health problems such as depression, agressiveness and increased risk of stroke.
Another thing that has already been mentioned is that we have no way of verifying if Mr. Gorran was actually doing Atkins (other than his personal testimony) OR that he was following the plan correctly if he was. Was he continuing to eat margarine and other unhealthy fats? How about products with hydrogenated oils in them?
Hmmm...I wonder if Mr. Gorran is a member of PCRM?

Good points, Lisa. My Total cholesterol is actually higher than Mr Gorran's but my HDL and trigs are so good that the ratios put me in the "healthy" range (never mind the whole Cholesterol Skeptic issue!).

If we assume for a moment that his story is true, we would have to ask ourselves how his arteries could have become blocked in this way, considering as low-carbers we know that low carb/high fat actually reduces cholesterol and anyway cholesterol in the diet does not lead to blocked arteries.

One aspect which has not been mentioned is whether or not Mr Gorran is a smoker. Here in the UK there is currently some graphic anti-smoking advertising showing fat pouring out of cigarettes (gross) because smoking has been shown to block the arteries.

Perhaps also, he was doing a "low fat" Atkins (to be more healthy, of course!! ) and ingesting low fat products containing trans fats and other bad fats, which have been shown to be dangerous to the health of the heart.

It's impossible to tell .... and I'm afraid I can feel a phonecall from my mother coming on ....

I cannot believe this guy. I was just watching him being interviewed on CNN and he is now saying that his cholesteral did NOT go up but he was suing just because of the idea that the Atkins diet promoted the eating of saturated fat.
The CNN reporter said he had read the book and Dr. Atkins said that if a person had a problem with cholesteral they could cut out sautrated fats. The guy suing what he called the "Atkins Empire," agreed the book said that but then he said that Atkins said for people to return to eating as much saturated fat as they want if they were unhappy with the lower fat version. The CNN reporter countered that was not accurate, that instead Dr. Atkins said to go back on the saturated fat version just to compare cholesteral between the two plans.

It is so obvious this guy just wants money. I wonder if he even went on the diet.

I believe that Dr. Atkins made accomodations for all types of people on his diet. He also did not say that everyone could go on it or that everyone would be succussful. I have heard that more from those who have had success on the Atkins diet. Dr. Atkins was a good doctor and knew what he was talking about. He knew some people (pregnant women, some of those with thyroid and other pre-existing health problems and those who were very resistent to weight loss for some reason) might not be successful on his diet. He says so right in the book.

So those people who want to sue the Atkins corporation and in doing so besmirch his good name have NO sympathy from me. All Dr. Atkins ever wanted to do was to help people.

I am wondering how Gorran can prove that he followed Atkins as it should be followed, and why he would go on any diet to lose 8 lbs or whatever it was.

What proof was there that his arteries weren't clogged before he went on the diet? Doing cholesterol tests would not show that. How would it be possible for that to happen in two months?

Maybe he is looking for an out of court settlement from Atkins that will go to PETA or PCRM.

I too hope Veronica sues the pants off of them for their past unethical and illegal activities.

Val

The PCRM should keep the stunts coming. Sooner or later they will totally discredit themselves. Maybe this bogus lawsuit might be the thing to do it. This Gorran idiot certainly doesn't seem very credible in the CNN interview. I wish I had seen it, from what you say, the CNN did a good job of exposing him.

Press Release Source: Center for Consumer Freedom

Consumer Group Says Atkins Lawsuit Pushed by Meat-Hating Animal Rights Radicals

Thursday May 27, 2004

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Connected to Yesterday's Five-Count Animal Rights Terror Indictments

WASHINGTON, May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), the organization promoting today's lawsuit against the estate of the late Dr. Robert Atkins, has an undeniable animal- rights motive for attacking a wildly popular diet plan that features meat and dairy foods. And PCRM has clear connections to an animal-rights terror group whose seven leaders were arrested yesterday by the FBI.

Today the Center for Consumer Freedom outlined the connections between PCRM and Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC), a subset of the terrorist Animal Liberation Front. SHAC members have bombed cars and office buildings, threatened the lives of innocent Americans, and beaten at least one medical researcher while his family watched in horror.

A February 23, 2004 Newsweek article reported that PCRM president Neal Barnard co-signed a series of intimidating letters in 2001 with SHAC president Kevin Jonas, who was among those indicted yesterday for acts of terrorism. Newsweek reported that less than 5 percent of PCRM's members are physicians, that Barnard also chairs the animal-rights cult PETA Foundation, and that SHAC is considered a "domestic terrorist threat" by the U.S. Department of Justice. And PCRM spokesperson Jerry Vlasak recently encouraged activists to murder doctors whose clinical disease research puts them at odds with the animal rights movement.

David Martosko, Director of Research for the Center for Consumer Freedom, said: "In today's climate, I'm astonished that anyone who works with violent domestic terrorists would be taken seriously on any subject, including dietary health. How would we feel if Hamas announced a lawsuit against the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)? We'd call it what it is: politically-motivated showboating by people with a violent streak."

For more info about the dangerous alliance between PCRM and SHAC, visit http://www.ConsumerFreedom.com

The Center for Consumer Freedom is a nonprofit coalition supported by restaurants, food companies, and consumers, working together to promote personal responsibility and protect consumer choices.


Source: Center for Consumer Freedom

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040527/dcthv002_1.html

i've read a number of articles related to mr. gorran and the atkins diet and none seem to know exactly when he started the diet. does even mr. gorran know:

by the way, here is mr. gorran's email address if anyone would care to let them know what they think of his lawsuit:
jgorran~bellsouth.net

i also noticed the mr. gorran joined the international horticulture society in september 2003, a full month before his blockage was found. i smell a rat!

Who wants to bet Mr. Gorran has a history in the animal rights movement? (After all, notice his favorite pre-lc foods were all vegetarian ).

Who wants to bet Mr. Gorran developed CHD before "going on Atkins", if he was on it at all?

Who wants to bet this marriage between Mr. Gorran and PCRM (well known PeTA front group) was a premeditated, completely fabricated publicity stunt from the braintrusts at PeTA?

Who wants to bet the majority of journalists covering the story are completely aware of the truth of the situation, but are feigning ignorance because they d*mn well know controversy about the popular LC diet sells papers?

A shameful spectacle

You're totally right. There are so many factors to consider that makes blaming Atkins for his CHD *ridiculous*.

Then again, that's not the point. Gorran knows he will lose. PCRM (PeTA) does as well. He does/they do not care. I am convinced he is an animal rights activist participating in one of yet another of PeTAs ridiculous PR stunts. PeTA knows that millions of Americans will see the headline "MAN SUFFERS CHD, SUES ATKINS" and that's all they are after. It's a propaganda campaign. They want to leave the impression that eating animal products is dangerous to humans and should be minimized or avoided all together. This is because they are animal rights extremists...a bunch of total nutters. They have ALREADY won as far as they're concerned.

Is it stupid? Yes, just like every other PeTA PR stunt it is indeed very very stupid. Does it work? Unfortunately it does.

I have to agree with you, Woo.

Here's another clue...

Consider the timing of the lawsuit announcement: the Thursday before a holiday week (Memorial Day).

Now, when Gorran "discovered" his condition and announced it to the media, it was Nov 20, 2003: the Thursday before a holiday week (U.S. Thanksgiving). http://forum.lowcarber.org/showpost...76&postcount=18

Both these holidays are characterized by family reunions - college students returning home, for example.

Idealistic college students APALLED by their parents' new, meat-heavy diet...

The PETArds are just trying to alarm the kids, and at the same time, give them ammo to use to engage their parents.

By the time the counter-responses hit the news, Thanksgiving is over (and Fall semester final exams are on), and Memorial Day is over, and the kids are off to their summer jobs/vacations.

Timing is everything.

sadly you are right about this. I've already heard from 3 or 4 people at work who only saw the headline and who have no idea who PCRM is. They take it at face value, they actually believe this guy did have heart problems that could be blamed on Atkins.

Oh well, not much I can do. I try to explain the facts to my colleagues but most of them aren't interested enough to lreally listen.