Robert C. Atkins, M.D.

Dr. Robert Coleman Atkins, M.D. (October 17, 1930 - April 17, 2003) was an American doctor and cardiologist, best known for the Atkins Nutritional Approach (or "Atkins Diet"), a popular but controversial way of dieting that entails eating low-carbohydrate, high-fat and high-protein foods.

Atkins graduated from the University of Michigan in 1951 and received a medical degree from Cornell Medical College in 1955, after which he specialized in cardiology and herbal remedies in place of (or before) pharmaceutical drugs, but not limited to acne, cancer, carpal tunnel syndrome, and depression.