NEW YORK (AP) — The debate over Dr. Robert Atkins' high-fat, low-carb diet flared posthumously Tuesday over news that Atkins himself weighed 258 pounds at his death — though the reasons for his bloated condition were immediately disputed.
A physicians group that is highly critical of the diet released details of a city medical examiner's report filed after Atkins' 2003 death that showed the 6-foot doctor was at a weight normally considered obese.
The group claimed the Atkins diet led to weight and heart troubles for its 72-year-old creator. But his allies countered that he had gained more than 60 pounds through fluid retention in the eight days he spent in a coma before dying last April.