This just in…

<a href="http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=465405">US bread makers hold crisis talks over impact of Atkins diet</a>: "In America, Patrick Davis of the National Bread Leadership Council, which organised the summit, said that it was unclear whether the fall in bread sales was a temporary blip or indicative of a more permanent change in eating habits. The average American eats 54 lbs of bread a year, barely a third of the quantity consumed by the French and Italians. But the Italians and the French are not notably obese, Mr Davis said."