Atkins Dieter Flunks Breathalyzer Test
According to some reports, two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese and about 20 percent are actively following weight-loss diets.
People lose weight fastest – at least in the short-run – on high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets. This diet strategy, however, could get you in trouble.
Swedish researchers reported the case of a 59-year-old man following the Atkins diet who couldn’t start his car that was equipped with an alcohol ignition interlock device, because it determined he was legally drunk.
Low-carb diets increase blood ketones formed by the incomplete breakdown of fats. Acetone, one type of ketone, can be broken down in the liver to form alcohol by an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase and it can cause a false-positive blood alcohol test.
It turns out the man was a nondrinker. But men and women on low-carb, high-protein weight loss diets may be falsely accused of drinking and driving. So next time Paris Hilton is busted for drunk driving, she should claim that she’s on Atkins.
Many employees are routinely tested for alcohol use, particularly those involving safety-sensitive work such as bus drivers and airline pilots. Conclusion: To stay out of trouble, find a balanced diet which doesn’t severely restrict carbs. [sources: International Journal of Obesity, Fitness Rx]
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05-10-07 at 12:49 pm
I know I shouldn’t laugh, but that’s actually kind of funny. Of all the negatives I’d heard about Atkins, a night in the pokey wasn’t one of them.