Low-carb message reaches kids, but is it a good one?

With millions of U.S. adults devoting themselves to low-carbohydrate diets, such as the Atkins weight-loss program, it is not surprising that some children are following their lead.

However, pediatricians and nutritionists say low-carb diets may be a bad idea for children. With rising rates of childhood obesity creating a major public health problem, these experts agree that going easy on refined sugars and starches in cookies, chips and bagels is a good thing. They worry, however, that kids who avoid or limit such foods as bread, potatoes, rice and fruit may be depriving themselves of important nutrients that are necessary for growing bodies. And they caution that parents who encourage such eating may not be aware of the consequences.

“The family is doing it and saying, ‘If it’s good for me, it’s good for my kids,’ ” said Dr. Henry Anhalt, chief of pediatric endocrinology at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. “There’s this misconception that if they go on the Atkins diet, they’ll have greater success than if they eliminate the saturated fat and simple sugars in their diet.”

An estimated 59 million U.S. adults are limiting their intake of carbohydrates, according to a recent survey by the Valen Group, a Cincinnati-based business consulting firm that does work for the low-carbohydrate food industry. About 17 million of them are on a specific low-carb program, such as the high-protein, high-fat Atkins diet, according to the survey. No one knows how many children are eating this way because few young dieters consult a doctor or nutritionist and reliable statistics on children and diets are hard to come by.

But medical professionals do know that children are influenced by their parents and peers.

Take Sasha Sioni, 17, a college student from Encino. After a friend dropped 40 pounds on the Atkins plan, Sioni, who was carrying 270 pounds on his 5-foot, 11-inch frame, decided to try it. Although his Iranian American family eats rice at every meal, he sticks to salmon, eggs, meat, chicken and lots of salads.

“I’ve lost 10 pounds already in a month,” he said recently while shopping at Heavenly Low Carb in Sherman Oaks, one of several Los Angeles stores catering to followers of the Atkins, South Beach and Sugar Busters diets. Owners of Heavenly Low Carb and similar stores say that parents regularly come in with their teenagers to buy ready-to-drink shakes and snack bars, hoping to keep the youngsters away from school vending machines.

Carbohydrates are sugar molecules that the body uses for energy. Most low-carb diets are based on the idea that when you overindulge in refined starches and sugars, you convert the excess sugar into fat and risk developing obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Instead, the diets recommend more protein and eating only fiber-rich complex carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, which break down more slowly.

Nutrition experts support weaning kids from sugar-laden sodas and cutting back the starches. But given how kids and teens love their spaghetti and mashed potatoes, experts are skeptical about whether kids can refrain for long. Doctors also point out that eliminating all carbohydrates isn’t healthy, because they provide nutrients essential for development.

“A growing child needs a constant flow of ... carbohydrates, proteins and fats in set amounts,” said Dr. Robert S. Gotlin, director of orthopedics and sports medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. During the first two weeks on the Atkins plan, fruit, bread, pasta, grains, starchy vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans and most dairy products are off-limits, forcing the body to burn fat for energy. However, he said, those restrictions deprive the brain of glucose, potentially dulling thinking, while sacrificing vitamins, minerals, calcium and fiber.

Despite the medical community’s early opposition to the Atkins plan, more doctors now accept the program because studies have demonstrated that eating more protein and fat, while reducing intake of carbs, can reduce cholesterol and other artery-clogging substances, and promote weight loss.

“The truth is there is emerging science that is really supportive of how bad high carbohydrates and insulin are for your body,” said Anhalt.

While no one disputes that low-carb dieters can lose weight fast, there are no good long-term studies. Doctors worry that kids, just like adults, probably will regain weight once they veer from the diet. Those who haven’t established healthful eating habits risk developing eating disorders, said Dr. Francine R. Kaufman, chief of pediatric endocrinology at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. She said there’s minimal research to show that Atkins is appropriate for growing kids.

The best and most prudent course, said Kaufman and others treating an epidemic of Type 2 diabetes in overweight children, lies in moderating carbs while establishing sensible lifelong eating patterns. Given that the average kid consumes about a dozen carbohydrate-rich foods daily, she said there was room to safely replace the refined sugars and starches with an apple or whole-grain bread.

Some families have found ways to reduce carbs without becoming obsessive.

Benita Magit, a 52-year-old family therapist in Brentwood, has followed a reduced-carb regimen for three years. Her son, Sam Ulrich, 13, was a bread-lover until he was diagnosed with pre-diabetes. With Kaufman’s approval, he began eating his mother’s way. The eighth-grader has shed 10 pounds from his 6-foot, 1-inch frame and has lowered his blood sugar.

Although he still indulges an occasional hankering for pizza, “the next day, I have a salad and no carbs,” he says. “It’s just a way of life.”