With the popularity of the Atkins diet on the rise, restaurants and grocery stores across the country are introducing new product options to satisfy their carbohydrate-wary customers. Duke University Dining Services, however, will not jump on the low-carb bandwagon and become "Atkins friendly," Student Health nutritionist Franca Alphin said.
"[Becoming] Atkins-friendly [means] that we would offer a whole line of low-carb options and that I would not be in support of," said Alphin, the dietitian for Dining Services. "We would be condoning that lifestyle, and there is not enough research out there to do that. I am not opposed to some low-carb options, but I don't want to be sending the message that Dining [Services] is supporting an Atkins lifestyle."
Although some on-campus vendors, such as Subway and Trinity Cafe, already offer low-carb options, Director of Dining Services Jim Wulforst said they do not indicate an endorsement for the Atkins diet or Atkins brand products.
"Technically, we don't want to be endorsing any one diet program in particular," Wulforst said. "If we do that, then we potentially are making recommendations to endorse a product line, [and] we may not have any legal right to do that."
In addition to these legal considerations, Alphin expressed concerns about the possible student health implications of selling Atkins-suitable products on campus. Living the "Atkins lifestyle" involves maintaining carbohydrate consumption at well below the normal level in order to facilitate weight loss. Alphin believes this eating pattern, while appropriate for obese individuals regularly monitored by medical professionals, could be dangerous for college-age populations lured into the Atkins craze by a false sense of assurance that they will lose weight and be healthier.
"Low-carb diets simply substitute proteins for carbohydrates, but they aren't necessarily lower calorie," Alphin said. "People shouldn't be confused that if they eat low carb, they'll lose weight.
Carbohydrates are also essential for maintaining energy.... Your brain uses them as a preferred energy source, so if you have a low-carb diet and you are someone who is active and fit, you may be tired, your blood sugar may drop [and] you may not be able to concentrate. Also, [you may not] get enough fruits and vegetables that reduce cancer risks."
Dr. William Yancy, an assistant professor of medicine and clinical investigator in Atkins diet studies conducted at Duke, pointed to other trends in student-age populations that could increase the risks associated with a low-carb diet.
"College students are more likely to have erratic eating habits," Yancy said. "[They] are more susceptible to eating disorders like bulimia or binging [and] purging, so they might be more susceptible to the things that come with dramatic weight loss, like electrolyte and vitamin deficiencies."
He also voiced concern over advertising Atkins or low-carb products in University dining facilities to students who, in general, are not familiar with the diet's particulars.
"If you don't read [Dr. Richard Atkins'] book or have any knowledge of nutrition and you go to the cafeteria and pick out things labeled 'Atkins-friendly,' you might eat something else not on the diet as well and harm yourself, or gain weight," he said.
Despite these considerations, David Randolph, the district manager of ARAMARK, described plans to introduce more low-carb options on campus next year in response to student requests.
"We're working on a low-carb wrap for the hot and cold wrap stations in the Great Hall," Randolph said. "[Low-carb eating] is a trend in food and we're trying to keep up with most of the trends."
Randolph said ARAMARK was also considering offering Atkins brand products, such as candy and other packaged goods.
"I know a lot of people say that the Atkins diet is not a good, healthy diet and that's true," he said. "You need carbs, and we're not endorsing the diet. But for people who want to watch their carbs but not necessarily do the diet, we want to offer them some products."
Alphin, however, maintained that offering Atkins-brand products would be a poor decision and said Dining Services is "asking [Randolph] not to."
"Healthy eating can be achieved without having to rely on those types of products," Alphin said. "Students who wish to eat low-carb can do so without special products."
Both Alphin and Yancy listed other, "healthy" ways to cut back on carbs, like eating more whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean protein while consuming less processed "simple sugars" found in most candies and desserts. Wulforst noted that offering students the products needed for this healthier low-carb lifestyle reflects the overall nutritional goals of Dining Services.
"It's not up to us to tell students what to eat, it's up to us to have a balanced menu that students can make intelligent choices with," he said. "We always try to have healthy options."
The future of Atkins brand products and other low-carb offerings at Duke has yet to be decided. Alphin, however, believes the Atkins diet will prove unpopular in the long run.
"To me it's just one other trend, and I've been around to see a lot of trends," she said. "We watched the whole fat-free thing take off, and now we have an obesity epidemic. [The Atkins diet] is just one more trend, one more attempt to address eating behaviors and changing our behavior to address that epidemic... but I don't think this will be successful."
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