Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site randvax.ARPA
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!harpo!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!randvax!edhall
From: edhall@randvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.cooks,net.med
Subject: Re: Heroin lite
Message-ID: <1780@randvax.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 3-May-84 03:42:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: randvax.1780
Posted: Thu May  3 03:42:42 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 5-May-84 01:10:40 EDT
References: <1057@ihuxl.UUCP> <645@u1100a.UUCP>, <1070@ihuxl.UUCP>
Organization: Rand Corp., Santa Monica
Lines: 35
Xref: 414 190

+
I thought Dr. Atkin's diet had been denounced as dangerous by the AMA...
I'd certainly not take his word on the effects of refined sugar,
especially when his promotion of a high-fat, high-protein diet flies
in the face of so much research on heart disease (from fats) and
intestinal cancer (from both fats and protein).  (Admittedly there
is a fair amount of dispute over the latter, but the fats/heart
disease link is about as strong as the cigarette/cancer link.)

Now, I'm no fan of refined sugar.  I avoid it when I can.  It certainly
has an effect in terms of tooth decay and possibly other dental problems.
And it may well have other harmful effects on health.  But a 4X increase
in death rate?  Just a little bit of thought would show that this is
absurd.  I haven't heard of the Polish population shrinking that
drastically.  And what ties this increase in with sugar, anyway?
Why not cigarettes?  If Dr Atkins chooses his numbers right, he can
include a lot of World-War-II casulties in his death rate (and this
is the only way I can think of to account for a quadrupling).

I'd rather you find references from people who don't have a vested
interest in a point of view, and ones which give the results of well-
defined studies with effective controls.

Scott's report on the dangers of honey for babies seems to be correct.
Science News recently had an article on it.  It seems that some honey
contains spores for a type of botulism.  The spores are usually killed
in the digestive tract, but some young babies (6 months or younger)
haven't developed this ability yet.  The results can be serious, even
fatal.  This isn't a problem for us older folks, though.

Don't believe everything you read.  I prefer no references to bad ones.
Especially when I agree with the point of view.  :-)

		-Ed Hall
		decvax!randvax!edhall