High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets are all the rage these days. But despite many success stories, some dieters suffer from health risks they didn't know were possible.
Casse Kartman wanted to lose weight. She reviewed several high-protein, low-carb approaches and settled on the Atkins diet, reported WCMH-TV in Columbus.
Kartman's husband, Bob, wound up on the diet by default.
"By virtue of me being on one, he was eating a lot more of the high-protein foods, along with me," Casse said.
After several months, Bob suddenly had problems walking. His foot was terribly sore.
"It was red and it was hot to the touch, and he literally could not walk on it," Casse said.
Doctors determined that Bob had developed gout, a form of arthritis.
"One of the other things that we found was that it's aggravated by a high-protein diet," said Casse.
Registered dietician Kim Ballantyne, of The Ohio State University, said she was not surprised.
The body breaks down the purines found in meat by creating a byproduct called uric acid.
"If, for some reason, your body's producing more uric acid, or your kidneys aren't excreting the uric acid in the way that they should be," Ballantyne said. "What's going to happen is, you can end up with gout."
The Kartmans were surprised by the side effect.
"I did all the research on the Internet, I read the Atkins book. There's nothing in there that tells you that men should be careful ... watch your high-protein intake if you have a history, or your family has a history of gout," Casse said.
Ballantyne said there was no research to prove that the diet was unhealthy. There is research showing the body needs fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy products. She also maintained that she feels there are much better and safer weight-loss tactics.
"If you were just to cut back your portion sizes of those carbohydrates, and keep the calories in line, you would be losing the weight also," Ballantyne said.
"Had I been warned initially, I would have done something different," Casse said.
WCMH contacted Atkins Nutritionals Inc. and told it about what happened to Bob Kartman.
The company said concerns about uric acid levels are mentioned in its "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution" book. In addition, the book recommends that every dieter get baseline lab tests done by a doctor before beginning the diet, and again six to 12 weeks later.
The company said that will show if uric acid levels are a concern.
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