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Low Carbohydrate Diets

Low Carb Weight Loss


Carbohydrate reduction has been a very popular means of weight reduction over 
the last 12 years in the US. This popularity largely derives from the now-famous 
"Atkins Diet" written by the late Dr. Richard Atkins. While there is little question that 
carbohydrate reduction does work to cause weight loss, it generally is difficult for 
people to maintain this sort of diet and so far, the long term effects of these diets 
on human health remain largely unknown. 

Benefits of Low-Carbohdrate Diets:


1: They are fast. Because most low-carb diets have an "induction phase" during 
which people eat extremely low amounts of carbohydrate, they usually cause a 
peculiar metabolic condition known as as "ketosis" wherein the body, in order to 
feed the brain absent sugar, produces large amounts of "secondary fuel" called 
"ketone bodies" that have the effect of reducing hunger and producing diuresis 
(water-loss by urination). Because of this water loss, people can lose as much as 
ten pounds in their first week on a low-carbohydrate diet. Of course the lost 
water is quickly reasimilated when ketosis stops. This accounts for the dramatic 
weight fluctuations that accompany low-carb diets.

2: They tend suit the meat-laden American concept of a "meal". Typically, 
people on low carbohydrate diets consume a lot of meat. This seems very 
appealing to people who may have been long-advised to avoid this kind of food.

3: Dramatic Blood Sugar Control: Often, when a person with type-2 diabetes 
starts a low-carbohydrate diet his or her blood sugar levels can literally improve 
overnight, sometimes very much. This combined with the improvement in blood 
sugar associated with weight loss makes low carbohdrate diets very tempting for 
diabetic patients and the physicians who treat them. Nevertheless, few people 
can mainain a very low carbohydrate intake for many years so even when it 
makes sense for a person to follow such a diet in the short term, a more 
macronutrient-balanced approach needs to be considered for the long-haul.

Problems and Risks of Low-Carbohydrate Diets:


1: No long-term data: So far, we don't have any good research results to help 
determine wether low carbohydrate dies are safe and beneficial in the long-term.

2: All-or-Nothing: Because strict low-carbohydrate diets require that people 
stay in the fluid-depleting state of ketosis, any "slip-up" or carbohydrate binge 
tends to cause rapid fluid regain that, of course, is reflected as a weight 
increase.

3: Monotony: Meat and cheese for every meal might sound appealing to 
someone who has long-refrained from such habits, but within days, many people 
find low-carb diets bland, boring and unpleasant.

4: Excessive Protein: Because of the emphasis placed upon meat consumption 
within low-carbohydrate diets, many people consume far more protein than they 
need. The problem with this is that excess protein cannot be stored by the body 
and therefore must be eliminated. This elimination places significant stress on the 
kidneys, particularly in the semi-dehydrated state of ketosis. There have been 
case-reports of serious kidney damage that appear to be associated with high 
protein intake from, among other causes, low-carbohydrate diets.

5:Cultural Evidence is Lacking: One of the most reassuring facts about low-fat 
(not low-carbohydrate) is that billions of people around the world consume low 
fat diets nearly daily (and have thus consumed for millenia) and live long and 
healthy lives. The statistics are far less reassuring as regards low-carbohydrate 
diets.
Dr. Atkins, in his book, argues that native Americans living in the polar north 
("Eskimos") traditionally consumed low-carbohydrate diets (fish, whale meat and 
blubber) and remained thin and healthy. While this is true, several practical 
problems remain. First, the "Eskimo" diet wasn't merely "low-carbohydrate", it 
was practically zero-carb and therefore rather different than the less severe 
diets popular today. Second, while the traditional Eskimo lifestyle proves that 
people are capable of surviving and even thriving in extremes of diet and climate, 
it doesn't argue that given a choice most people would actually choose to live 
this way. It still begs the question whether low-carbohydrate diets are liveable.

Confusion Caused By Low-Carbohydrate Diets:


Low carbohydrate diets and low-fat diets are polar opposites. Low carbohydrate 
diets are necessarily high fat diets whereas low fat diets are high in 
carbohydrates. This is confusing to many people if they are familiar with one 
approach (say low-carb) and then later try the other (low fat). A common 
complaint of dieters is the seemingly conflicting advice offered them by 
proponents of low carbohydrate and low fat diets.

Conclusions:


Low carbohydrate diets are effective and safe for weight control in the short 
term. Long term data are lacking. 


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