Questions about Dr. Atkins...

[BreakfastSurreal]

So, I know he died from a heart attack... isn't that kind of ironic? Does anyone know more details about his death? I have just always been curious.

[Miss Phode]

He slipped and fell on a patch of ice, hit his head, and if I remember correctly, went into a coma.

[BreakfastSurreal]

He slipped and fell on a patch of ice, hit his head, and if I remember correctly, went into a coma.

oh. I remember hearing from several people he had a heart attack...that's still sad to hear though : /

[Piasabird]

Perhaps this article will help you with some of the details:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/doctor/atkins.asp

[G-Mom]

Dr. A slipped on ice and fell and hit his head. He went into a coma. His name was dragged through the dirt by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (who promote vegetarianism) when they illegally obtained an autopsy report which stated that Dr. A weighed something like 255 lbs. His body was pumped with fluids which made him gain some 60 lbs. The PCRM decided to spread a rumor that Dr. A weighed that weight when he slipped and that is a total lie.

The heart attack was due to a virus completely unrelated to diet. This happened a few years before his death, I believe.

[CherTLC4u]

The Truth About Dr. Atkins’ Weight
By Stuart Trager, M.D.
At the time of his injury at the age of 72, after years of following the Atkins Nutritional Approach, Dr. Atkins’ recorded height was 6 feet and his recorded weight was 195 pounds.

In today's Wall Street Journal a grossly distorted story on the health of Dr. Robert C. Atkins reported that he weighed 258 pounds at the time of his death, making him obese. In fact, the day after his fall, Dr. Atkins' weight was recorded as195 pounds, 63 pounds less than reported at his death! Based on the body mass index (BMI), a desirable range for people over the age of 65, is 24 to 29. At a height of 6 feet, Dr. Atkins’ BMI was 26.4, putting him squarely in the normal range for his age.

The Journal article was based on incomplete and inaccurate personal medical information that was released in violation of federal law. Furthermore, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), which, despite its name is a group of animal rights activists, illegally delivered these documents to the newspaper.


Dr. Atkins' weight was consistently and frequently documented in the years and months prior to his fall; as he was suffering from cardiomyopathy, his health was monitored closely. Despite this, he regularly played tennis, his favorite sport. His weight at his death was a result of water retention. During his coma, as he deteriorated and his major organs failed, fluid retention and bloating dramatically distorted his body.

Any implication that Dr. Atkins was obese prior to his accident shows a blatant disregard, or even worse, a twisting of medical facts surrounding this case to suit an agenda. One would also expect knowledgeable physicians to have a better understanding of the physiology of severe heart failure and the degree of fluid retention that occurred during this hospitalization for severe brain trauma. None of us would expect the physicians at PCRM to reveal any of this in light of their past and current motivation—but surely as medical professionals they understood that this weight gain was not due to obesity.

Stuart Lawrence Trager, M.D. is chairperson of the Atkins Physicians Council, a practicing physician and a triathlete.

[ttdriver]

HE WILL ALWAYS BE MY HERO. ALONG WITH JACK LA LANNE!! :joy

Betty

[matawguro]

The cause of Dr. Atkins death ought to be part of FAQs.

[Elizellen]

The cause of Dr. Atkins death ought to be part of FAQs.

Good suggestion Robbie :yes