Atkins, Father of the High-Protein Diet, Dies at 72

NEW YORK--Dr. Robert C. Atkins, the man who has helped thousands lose pounds by embracing a protein-rich diet, died April 17 from complications of a head injury suffered April 8. Atkins, who was 72, died from subdural hematoma at New York Weill-Cornell Medical Center with his wife and friends by his side. He is survived by his wife, Victoria, and mother, Norma.

Atkins received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical School in 1955 and originally specialized in cardiology. His calling turned to weight loss after following a self-imposed, high-protein diet to lose the 30 pounds he gained in med school. In addition to his work in nutrition, Atkins had also been a proponent of using ozone gas to kill cancer cells and the HIV virus.

To date, Atkins' books have sold 15 million copies, his most popular book being Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, which spent five years on the New York Times best-seller list, most of that time in the top 10.

Through the Atkins Web site (www.atkinscenter.com), his wife Veronica had released a statement while Atkins was hospitalized: "I want to thank the thousands of people who have sent e-mails, cards, flowers and have called saying that they are praying for my husband. It makes me proud that my husband has touched so many lives and, having this reaffirmed at this time, is very much helping me through this terrible ordeal."

Last April, Atkins suffered from cardiac arrest, which he said was due to a heart infection and not his diet.

According to Business 2.0 (www.business2.com), a story running in The New York Times July 7, 2002, titled "What if It's All Been a Big, Fat Lie?" about the Atkins diet prompted a media frenzy that elicited 1.6 billion impressions (or mentions) last year alone. Reportedly, the privately held Atkins Nutritionals' sales grew 70 percent in 2002 to $100 million.

Atkins was named one of People magazine's 25 "Most Intriguing People" at the end of the 20th century and one of Time magazine's "People Who Mattered." The Atkins Foundation is continuing to sponsor research currently being conducted at Duke University, the University of Connecticut and Harvard University.