# death by high-protein, low carb diet



## kingfish (Nov 1, 2002)

I came accross this on ABC news site, I thought I would share it with you all.  


NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Missouri doctors describe the case of an apparently healthy 16-year-old girl who collapsed suddenly and died after spending one to two weeks on a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet.

Electrolyte imbalances due to the diet, and the resulting damage to her heart function, were likely responsible, the physicians who cared for her report in a recent issue of the Southern Medical Journal. The girl had no known illnesses or medical conditions.

The teen had low potassium and calcium levels when she arrived at the University of Missouri Health Sciences Center, most likely as a consequence of the diet, the doctors state in their report. This disrupted the normal electrical function of her heart, leading it to stop and causing her to collapse, they write.

Dietitians and proponents of the Atkins diet, one example of a low-carbohydrate/high-protein diet, say that other weight-loss measures including eating disorders like bulimia or the use of diuretics were far more likely to have contributed to the low electrolyte levels found in the teen's blood.

Dr. D. Paul Robinson, a co-author of the paper, said in an interview that while there might be other explanations for the teen's death, including an abnormal heart rhythm, interviews with her parents did not suggest that she had a history of bulimia or diuretic use. Robinson is an assistant professor of child health in the division of adolescent medicine at the University of Missouri, Columbia.

"Most kids with eating disorders, even if they're able to hide the bulimia, they're constantly talking about being fat or needing to lose weight and exercise," Robinson said. "My indication, from what I understand of the interview with this girl's family, is that none of these things were the case."

Colette Heimowitz, director of education and research at Atkins Health and Medical Information Services, told Reuters Health that the Atkins approach has been used by millions of Americans for 30 years now, and there have been no documented cases of serious reactions or fatalities.

"The actual dietary approaches or practices that this particular teenager followed for days or weeks couldn't possibly account for what (the physicians are) attributing it to," said Heimowitz. She noted that the irregular chemical levels detected during the autopsy could be associated with drugs emergency medical personnel and doctors administered to resuscitate the teen, or with other weight-loss efforts.

Robinson disagrees. "I don't think there is any way the resuscitative drugs would have affected (the teen's electrolytic balance)," he said, noting that when the teen came in, she had low potassium levels.

Very high-protein/low-carbohydrate diets result in a condition called ketosis. In ketosis, the body has used up its preferred fuel reserves, glycogen derived from carbohydrates, and instead burns fat. This generates substances called ketone bodies, which can be smelled in the breath.

Wahida Karmally, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, told Reuters Health that these diets can cause muscle breakdown, weakness, nausea and dehydration. They limit the intake of entire categories of food that provide certain nutrients, such as potassium, she explained. "These effects can happen right away," she said.

"It is a worrying set of circumstances when kids die suddenly," Robinson said. "The whole point of writing the paper is to ask clinicians to keep their eyes open. If kids come in with sudden death and they're on this kind of diet, we really have to start paying more attention to it."


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## Yanick (Nov 1, 2002)

yeah yeah, i read that shit on avant yesterday.  Its the most BS i have ever read in my life.  Vitamin defiencies will not be that dramatic over a two week period.  There are a host of reasons why that dumbass would've died, low cals would be my guess, or pre existing heart condition.


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## Preacher (Nov 2, 2002)

Shouldn't we be reading "McDonalds-based diet responsible for 500 more deaths .." right besides that ?


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## w8lifter (Nov 2, 2002)

> Electrolyte imbalances due to the diet, and the resulting damage to her heart function, were likely responsible,




Very interesting....I would say that _if_ the diet were to blame...and that's a big fuking IF considering she was only on it for 2 weeks, and as Yanick pointed out...hardly enough time to become vitamin deficient as a result of the diet to a point of causing death....if it were a factor in her death, I'd say the number one problem is that she didn't drink enough water...if any at all, and a secondary factor would be too low calories.

If she didn't drink water...and if she only ate protein for 3-4 meals a day....I'd say that's a good reason for the body to give up. I say this because I seriously doubt this girl knew about caloric balance and compensating for the loss of carbs w/ fats, or the body's need for water....a sad case really....and a damn good reason why teens should be taught a "healthy eating plan" instead of a "diet".


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## bigss75 (Nov 2, 2002)

> _*Originally posted by Preacher *_
> Shouldn't we be reading "McDonalds-based diet responsible for 500 more deaths .." right besides that ?


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## tidalwaverus (Nov 3, 2002)

How sad, desperate teens. I would bet there was some use of speed, even natural, Teen heart attacks speed kills come on BS. The only other thing could be lack of water. You can live 3 mins without air, 3 days without water, 30 days without food. You die faster not having water than food.


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## Duncan (Nov 3, 2002)

Very sad happening of events, but this girl is what I call "Just knowledgeable enough to be dangerous".


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## crackerjack414 (Nov 3, 2002)

its actuely 4 mins without air


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## Robboe (Nov 4, 2002)

> _*Originally posted by tidalwaverus *_
> How sad, desperate teens. I would bet there was some use of speed, even natural, Teen heart attacks speed kills come on BS. The only other thing could be lack of water. You can live 3 mins without air, 3 days without water, 30 days without food. You die faster not having water than food.




You can live quite a bit longer without food (depending on bf% when you start).


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## Mudge (Nov 4, 2002)

> _*Originally posted by Duncan *_
> "Just knowledgeable enough to be dangerous".



Thats one I use as well, I think most of us are in that situation now. Were smart enough to screw up the planet, but not smart enough to have fun without screwing it up (or just greedy, whatever).


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## cornfed (Nov 4, 2002)

2weeks?  No fuqqin' way.  Scapegoat.  Those MFers are using this tragedy as F'ing propaganda.  Her death is tragic, but _that_ is damn pathetic.


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## Robboe (Nov 4, 2002)

There's more to this picture than has been let on. Simple as that.


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## Freeman (Nov 4, 2002)

Well put Chicken Daddy.  Ever since I got into weight lifting and then subsequently, the nutritional side of things, I have come to the determination that bodybuilders eat MUCH better than most other people out there.  Screw that article.  I'd put money on it that she had a disorder, whether it be eating, or some sort of physical thing.  Lying media-bastards!


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## dMaNnZiLLa (Aug 16, 2014)

I'd "reply with quote" but I'd be quoting nearly everyone here. I don't claim to know everything about nutrition, health science, and definitely not determining what caused this poor girl's death. However, like you, I know enough to know when to call BS on an excuse such as this "high protein/low carb diet" alone. Typical ignorant media trying to find a story, clutching to any single piece of information and focus in in order to give themselves a quick story for the day, appease their management, and try to sound halfway intelligent (like I'm doing here ). Oh yeah, it's got to scare the masses too, otherwise they should've just stayed in bed that day.

Focus in on the diet she was attempting, but who gives a shit about the underlying behavior and mental health issues she must've been facing in order to even feel like the diet was something she "needed" to do. Seems to me like an "unknown to the viewers" diet that killed an innocent 16 year old girl sounds scarier and more important than the dull, heard a million times, "your teen is going through the most intense time of their lives; watch for signs" story is. Maybe the signs that could lead someone to suspect an eating disorder, or alarming personal and social distracting behavioral changes, or could it potentially be the self-medicating drug use she needed because her guardians didn't notice or think to take her to see a physician?  But hell, what do I know... other than the media's inflated bullshit stories that scare us just enough to sound good, this poor girl didn't deserve this and someone maybe shoulda paid a little extra attention to her and maybe I wouldn't be writing this, and the catalyst to this sad story wasn't this fucking diet she was on for "one to two weeks" either. One week is a big difference in a case like this and if they knew she was on a fucking diet...!?!? OBVIOUSLY THEY SHOULDA ALREADY HAD HER TO THE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES OFFICE TO SEE WHY!!!    AAAAAAARRRRGHH!!!


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## Swolen22 (Aug 16, 2014)

Interesting read


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## MidWest (Aug 19, 2014)

Preacher said:


> Shouldn't we be reading "McDonalds-based diet responsible for 500 more deaths .." right besides that ?



Indeed

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## Ainslie Lee (Oct 29, 2014)

i have doubt with her keto diet is properly followed or not.


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## CopperBullet (Nov 8, 2014)

Interesting (and sad), but I question if she was following a proper protocol (most likely not).  While most definitely a warning, one unfortunate instance like this shouldn't deter people from trying a diet that has been extremely beneficial to thousands (millions?) of others.


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## dave 236 (Nov 9, 2014)

Low calcium and potassium levels wouldn't be a result of following a keto diet unless you were also cutting out dairy and other sources of those nutrients.  Sounds more like she was on a crash liquid diet and using some type of diuretic in hopes of dropping a pant size in a hurry.   If keto killed people in 2weeks we'd hear about a lot of dead physique and figure competitors.  

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