TUESDAY, March 29, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- Carbohydrate-counting dieters who use Atkins products will soon see a new term on the label. Instead of net carbs, it will now be "net Atkins count."
That's a scientifically verified version of net carbs, according to Colette Heimowitz, vice president of education and research for Atkins Nutritionals, Inc., in New York City.
But at least one nutrition expert, the American Dietetic Association's Lona Sandon, says that only the name has changed and the new labeling means Atkins is just putting "another spin on a low-carb way of eating."
The new labels will start showing up on shelves within the next few months, and some stores are already selling products with the new labels, said Heimowitz.
Net carbs include those carbohydrates that have a significant impact on blood sugar levels, according to Heimowitz. She said limiting net carbs is the most critical factor for success when following the Atkins regimen, which focuses on limiting carbohydrates.
For years, Atkins and other food makers have included "net carbs" on food labels, although the term is not yet recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
To arrive at net carbs, manufacturers take total carbs and subtract fiber, sugar alcohol and glycerine, Heimowitz said. For instance, a product that has 15 grams of total carbs per serving and 3 grams of fiber and 3 grams of sugar alcohol would subtract 6 for the fiber and sugar alcohol to get 9 net carbs.
"The carbs you need to count that have an effect on blood sugar are net carbs," said Heimowitz. That's because fiber and sugar alcohols have a minimal effect on blood sugar, she added.
Now, Atkins has worked in conjunction with a University of Toronto nutritional science researcher, Thomas Wolever, to test blood sugar responses to all 150 Atkins products.
Testing the blood sugar responses of 10 individuals to each of the products, "we came up with a unique scientific method that substantiates the low glycemic impact of Atkins products and confirms the accuracy of Atkin's net carb [numbers]," Heimowitz said.
The report has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed scientific publication, but Heimowitz said publication is "pending."
She said the method is an improvement over simply measuring the glycemic index -- the impact various foods have on blood-sugar response in people. Part of the problem with the traditional glycemic index, according to Atkins officials, is that cannnot take into account ingredient interactions. The new method does that, they said.
The new label "will qualify the blood sugar effect of products, so individuals who follow a controlled carb lifestyle can more accurately include a product in their meal planning," said Heimowitz.
But the American Dietetic Association's Sandon said the new label won't make much difference. "The product is still the product; there's just a new number."
Sandon, who also teaches clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said "there is no government definition of net carb."
Currently, the Food and Drug Administration has not defined the term "net carbs," according to an agency spokesperson. However, the agency plans to solicit public comment later this year on whether it should establish terms relating to the carbohydrate content of foods.
One criticism of the glycemic index, she said, is that it doesn't take into account how people really eat, mixing up different foods in a single meal.
For example, a person may sit down to a meal that includes a food with a very high glycemic index -- which makes blood sugar rise rapidly. But during the same meal, they also consume other foods with low glycemic indices.
So "it doesn't matter so much -- the glycemic index of a single food," Sandon explained, because combined with other foods eaten at the same time, "it is OK."
More information
To learn more about carbohydrates, visit the American Dietetic Association.
