The plaintiff, 53-year-old Jody Gorran, will argue that the Atkins corporation should be held liable for the life-threatening artery blockage he suffered after more than two years on the diet. Gorran filed suit against Atkins Nutritionals on May 26 in Palm Beach County Courthouse.
The not-for-profit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is providing legal representation. Atkins Nutritionals is a privately held corporation, reported to be worth in excess of $700 million.
A former volunteer fireman and advocate for children ™s rights, Gorran is motivated by his desire to protect others from a diet he feels nearly killed him (requiring both an angioplasty and stent). By requesting only a small amount in damages ”less than $15,000 ”Gorran is making it clear that he has not filed this suit to make money. Instead, he wants to show others that they can seek recourse in the courts if they or their loved ones suffer death or injury as a result of the Atkins diet. He is also seeking an injunction preventing the sale of Atkins books and products without fair and adequate warnings about the dangers of the diet. Here are the details about the hearing:
WHAT: First hearing in landmark lawsuit against Atkins Nutritionals. Hearing will determine whether case will move forward; judge may issue her ruling on day of hearing.
WHO: Dan Kinburn, Esq., PCRM ™s senior counsel. Jody Gorran, plaintiff.
WHEN: 10 a.m., Tuesday, October 26. Kinburn and Gorran are available before and after the hearing for interviews and photos.
WHERE: Palm Beach County Courthouse, Courtroom 6B, 205 North Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, Florida.
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Eating more processed sugary foods at the cost of unprocessed foods rich in complex carbohydrates “ such as whole grains, vegetables and beans “ has been implicated in diseases such as type 2 diabetes and colon cancer, for example.
Research by Goran ™s group explores links to type 2 diabetes, a chronic disease that is affecting Americans in increasing numbers and at earlier ages “ even in adolescence.
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by a decline in how well the pancreas ™ beta cells (the body ™s factories for insulin) function. Based on some initial findings, Goran and colleagues suspect that children who eat more sugar have lower beta cell function.
Lowering refined sugars and eating more complex carbohydrates, such as fiber, Goran said, can lead to eating fewer calories overall. If you ™re eating more fiber instead of sugar, you ™ll feel more full, and you ™ll eat less, he said.
It ™s a subtle effect, but over time, it would make a difference.
Ultimately, Goran hopes to combine a carbohydrate-modification diet strategy with his other intervention project, which involves strength-training exercise. Goran and his colleagues have been testing strength training “ or lifting weights “ as a way to increase teen-age boys ™ sensitivity to insulin and lower their risk for type 2 diabetes.
The study is funded by the Dr. Robert C. Atkins Foundation, which supports research in the use of controlled carbohydrates in disease prevention and treatment.
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