More on Dr. Robert Atkins

I’m always surprised at the lengths those failing to control their blood glucose, weight, etc will stoop. It seems it was ever thus, consider the reporting of Atkins death.

“Years after his death in 2003, the rumor that Dr. Robert Atkins "died of his own diet" persists. The falsehoods concerning his death are mainly propagated by the vegan group the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and related groups and individuals. However, even the mainstream media is not blameless. In March 2007, Newsweek magazine published an opinion piece by Dr. Dean Ornish which contained the same untruths, which were later retracted by the magazine*.”

Some facts.

“And a medical report at the time of his admission to the hospital, which was later made public by his widow, states that he was 195 lbs on admission to the hospital.”

“On April 8, 2003, at age 72, Dr. Atkins slipped on the ice while walking to work, hitting his head and causing bleeding around his brain. He lost consciousness on the way to the hospital, where he spent two weeks in intensive care. His body deteriorated rapidly and he suffered massive organ failure. During this time, his body apparently retained an enormous amount of fluid, and his weight at death was recorded at 258 pounds. His death certificate states that the cause of death was "blunt impact injury of head with epidural hematoma".

The retraction.

* In March 2007, Newsweek magazine published a correction stating, "An earlier version of this story contained an inaccurate account of events surrounding the death of Dr. Robert Atkins. Newsweek regrets the error."

John