Paula from Wisconsin asked: “My seven year old boy has epilepsy. I’ve tried all kinds of drugs, but he is completely unresponsive to them. Recently, I’ve heard that the Atkins Diet can help kids with epilepsy. Have you heard anything about this? Can this diet really cure epilepsy?”

Paula, the diet cannot necessarily “cure” epilepsy, however, it can help to dramatically decrease the effects. When children are unresponsive to drugs, they are usually put them on the ketogenic diet. Both the Atkins Diet and the ketogenic diet are low-carb high-fat diets that produce ketones. The production of these ketones is really the key to diminishing the effects of epilepsy.

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Sam from Brooklyn asked: “I’ve recently heard the Atkins Diet can lead to arthritis, and even gout. How can the diet cause arthritis? Is this even true? Thanks.”

Sam, there are critics out there that do say that the diet causes arthritis. However, these critics are only half right.

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Jane from Sacramento asked: “I come from a long line of people with brittle bones. I was wondering if the diet had any negative consequences having to do with bone damage or osteoporosis. I’ve heard that high-protein diets can sometimes cause osteoporosis. Is this true?”

Jane, this is a fairly complicated question, so bare with me if the answer is a little bit complicated as well.

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Sharon from Chicago asked: “I just started the Akins Diet, and I was wondering if it’s ok to add Omega 3 to my diet. I’ve heard some very good things about Omega 3 and would really like to try it. If so, what are some benefits to consuming Omega 3?”

Sharon, it is perfectly fine to add Omega 3 to your diet. This is actually a very good idea, and, really, more people should be doing it. Omega 3 has many benefits that most people don’t even know about!
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John from Riverside asked: “I’ve heard some nasty rumors that low-carb high-protein diets like the Atkins Diet can cause kidney stones. Is this true? Can you really get kidney stones from diets like this?”

John, this is an excellent question and there has been a great deal of controversy concerning this topic. And unfortunately, most evidence does point to low carb diets being contributors to kidney stones.

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Patricia from Miami asked: “I have a history of heart disease in my family, and I’ve recently heard that the diet may induce heart disease, or make it worse. I was wondering if these myths are actually true. I don’t want to do anything that would possibly provoke heart disease in any way. Thank you.”

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