Businessman sues Atkins’ estate claiming diet clogged his arteries

A BUSINESSMAN is suing the estate of the late diet guru Dr Robert Atkins, claiming the popular eating plan clogged his arteries and left him needing surgery.

Jody Gorran claimed in a lawsuit that his cholesterol level rocketed after going on the high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet.

After following the plan for two years, the 53-year-old from Florida needed surgery to open a clogged artery.

Atkins Nutritionals hit back at the lawsuit saying science “has repeatedly reaffirmed the safety and health benefits of Atkins”.

It claimed the suit was a publicity stunt because Mr Gorran is backed by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which promotes a vegan diet.

Under the Atkins plan, dieters are able to eat meat and other proteins but cut out carbohydrates. Critics claim a diet rich in red meat can cause cholesterol levels to soar.

Mr Gorran, a wealthy manufacturer of solar panels for swimming pools, claimed in his lawsuit that his own cholesterol shot from 146, within the normal range, to a dangerous 230 while on the diet.

In October, 2003, after suffering chest pains, doctors found one of his major arteries was almost totally blocked. Surgeons performed an angioplasty and inserted a stent to keep the artery open. Mr Gorran, of Delray Beach, claims that before he went on the diet tests had shown his arteries were clear.

His lawsuit, lodged yesterday, seeks $28,000 (€23,000) and an injunction on Atkins Nutritionals promoting the diet. Mr Gorran was not immediately available for comment.

Atkins Nutritionals said in a statement that the Physicians Committee for Responsible Nutrition was “a well-known vegan and animal rights group, (which) has a long history of initiating these kinds of scare tactics that are designed to convince the American public to stop eating animal protein of any sort.”