PEOPLE who stay on the high-protein Atkins diet for too long could be harming their heart, kidneys and bones, Australian doctors have warned.

The high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet, which is popular among Hollywood celebrities, has been shown to reduce weight in the short term.
However, Monash University’s Associate Professor Malcolm Riley said doubts remained about the long-term impacts of the Atkins diet.

“There still remains question marks over whether, for various population groups, there might be adverse effects,” he said.

In a paper published in the Australian Medical Journal, Professor Riley and Flinders University’s Associate Professor John Coveney suggested the low-carbohydrate diet appeared to be safe for up to 12 months with no obvious effects on cardiovascular risk factors or blood pressure.