How long has the Atkins diet been around?

Cardiologist Dr. Robert C. Atkins devised the Atkins diet in 1963. He based much of it on work done by nutritionist Dr. Alfred Pennington in the late 1950s, according to the British Medical Journal. After losing weight on the diet himself, Atkins began prescribing it to patients around 1964.

Dr. Atkins published his first book, "Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution," in 1972, according to the Mayo Clinic. While this book may be taken as marking the official beginning of the Atkins Nutritional Approach as a popular diet, Atkins himself had spent several years prior to publication raising awareness on the Tonight Show and in a 1970 article published in Vogue magazine.