Low
Carb Diet
Lose Weight, Lower Health Risks, Look GreatOver
the past year, 5 best-selling low carb diet books and widespread media reports
are promoting the health benefits of reduced carbohydrate/high protein diets.
Based upon the popularity of the Atkins, Protein Power, Zone and Sugar Buster's
diets, experts believe that more than 25 million Americans are now following some
form of low carb high protein diet.
According
to eDiets the low carb diet offers the following benefits: - Successfully
lose weight
- Keep
you weight off
- Lower
your insulin production
- Reduce
risk factors for heart disease, hypertension and diabetes
- Boost
your energy level
- Improve
your appearance
The
basic concept behind these popular low carb diets are to eat more protein and
fewer carbohydrates and sugar. With
a low carb diet a person reduces their carbohydrate consumption, the body's blood-sugar
levels decrease and cause the pancreas to produce less insulin. With less insulin
to draw on, the body is forced to burn fat reserves for energy, resulting in rapid
weight loss, according to gurus such as Atkins. Eating more fat -- a food category
that formerly was taboo for many dieters -- makes the body feel full, leading
to fewer carbohydrate cravings. "On
diets high in carbohydrates, carbohydrates become the body's primary fuel,"
says Atkins, a New York cardiologist. His most recent book, "Dr Atkins' New
Diet Revolution" has been on the New York Times list for several years. "When
fat is used as fuel, as it is on a low-carbohydrate diet, it gets mobilized. It
does not accumulate, so weight and cholesterol drop." Critics
of Low Carb DietThis
low carb diet is in direct contrast to the popular notion of lowering your fat
intake to lose weight. It also is in opposition to most mainstream medical thinking.
"People
are always looking for a quick way to lose weight" says Wahida Karmally,
a nutrition research scientist at Columbia University and a spokeswoman for the
American Dietetic Association. "You will lose weight in the first week on
these diets but, past that, they lack essential nutrients, and it is an unbalanced
way of eating. It lacks fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Eating high-fat
and high-cholesterol [foods] increases the risk of heart disease and tests the
kidneys." Latest
Research on Low Carb DietIn
contrast doctors at Duke University studied 41 obese patients on a low carb diet
that included less than 20 grams of carbohydrates a day. In four months, participants
lost an average of 21.3 pounds and showed a 6 percent drop in cholesterol and
an almost 40 percent drop in triglycerides. So far the study, which is ongoing,
has not found any potentially dangerous effects on liver and kidney function.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to conduct its own tests of a low-carb
diet vs. a low-fat diet. Regardless
of the conflicting views the bottomline with a low carb diet is it appears to
work. The numbers are overwhelming positive. If you are considering a low carb
diet you should check with you doctor. There are a number of excellent books on
the subject. In addition, there are a number of online sites that will assist
you in planning your diet and menu.
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