The Atkins Diet bubble may be about to burst, courtesy of one cow in Washington state.
Holiday revelers who thought they could avoid those extra pounds by sticking to a diet high in beef may be getting a queasy feeling after the first U.S. case of mad cow disease was disclosed on Tuesday night.
"I think it's going to be a challenge to stay committed," said Dean Rotbart, executive editor of LowCarbiz, an Internet newsletter. "If you take red meat out of a low-carb diet, you've cut a big incentive out of being on the diet, and you've cut a lot of pages out of your recipe group," he said.
He predicted that enthusiasts for diets such as Atkins and South Beach may now switch to low-fat plans.
In the past year, high-protein, low-carbohydrate eating programs marked one of the biggest U.S. eating trends.
Despite warnings from some health professionals about diets heavy in saturated fat and cholesterol—staples of the Atkins diet—thousands of Americans have piled on, with estimates ranging from 1 percent to 10 percent of the population testing some version of low-carb eating.
This year there was a near-doubling of low- and no-carb products found on grocery shelves, according to Product Scan Marketing Intelligence, a Naples, New York research firm.
Companies ranging from tiny Internet opportunists to big restaurant chains like Blimpie International Inc. have attempted to cash in on the trend, offering "carb counter" sandwiches, bunless burgers, and protein plates.
But now, a single case of mad cow disease, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture said posed minimal risk to human health, could trip up the whole low-carb fad.
The USDA said a Holstein cow near Yakima, Washington, tested positive for mad cow disease, a fatal-brain-wasting disorder. Humans are believed to contract a similar version of the disease by eating meat from tainted cattle.
"This catastrophe might open some eyes to the many problems with meat-heavy diets," said Amy Joy Lanou, nutrition director for Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a consumer health group. The group is offering a "vegetarian starter kit" for suddenly fearful carnivores.
Marketing experts expect that some low-carb eaters will turn to menus featuring chicken, fish and other meat alternatives.
If history is any indication, there may be cause for concern. After fresh cases of mad cow disease were discovered in Europe in late 2000, McDonald's Corp. hamburger sales were hurt for months, while skittish consumers sought other sources of protein.
Just last week, Jack Schuessler, chief executive of McDonald's rival Wendy's, told Reuters in an interview that the new dieting trends had entered the mainstream. "It's not a fad anymore," he said, noting that Wendy's plans to roll out products catering to low-carb eaters.
He may have spoken too soon.