I have kidney stones. Will doing Atkins cause an attack?
There is no evidence to indicate that people who do Atkins suffer a greater frequency of kidney stone attacks than people who follow another dietary regimen. If you have kidney stones, however, you must observe the rule about drinking eight or more glasses of water per day. Continue to see your doctor regularly so that he or she can monitor your condition.
Doesn't all the protein you eat when doing Atkins cause kidney and liver problems?
These are two of the most popular myths perpetuated about Atkins. There are no studies showing that Atkins causes kidney or liver problems in healthy individuals. In fact, at The Atkins Center, we constantly monitor our patients lab results for changes in kidney and liver function. There are research trials that looked at liver and kidney and heart function, with participants on ketogenic diets similar to the Atkins approach in which no negative effects were observed. Also, when we did a follow-up of more than a year on patients at The Atkins Center, including checking their kidney and liver functions, there was no adverse effect. Of course patients in kidney failure are extremely restricted in everything they consume, including water, so Atkins would not be appropriate for them