I heard a reference to Atkins on NPR while driving home from work today.

Apparently there was a meeting of bread manufacturers in Providence, RI today, and they were concerned that Americans ate about 10 lbs less flour-based products last year, per capita, due to cutting back on carbohydrates.

They booed when someone held up a copy of "The Atkins Diet."

The question about excess protein making the blood acidic is an interesting one. Most Americans eat way more protein than they can digest and excrete it in the form of nitrates and nitrites. Could it be that excess amounts of amino acids (digested protein food) in the blood can cause damage?

I looked up "proteins" in a 1990 medical book, it recommended the "well-balanced" pyramid type diet.

"Unlike fat, protein cannot be stored in appreciable quantities...it is not economical to feed relatively expensive high-protein foods in large quantities...Worldwide, protein deficiency and protein malnutrition are common."

They discussed lots of bad things that happen with too little protien, but nothing about too much.