LOW CARB DIET - IS IT ANY GOOD?

Christian Boy

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My job, my home.
What Are Low Carb Diets?
Low carb diets are based on the premise that a diet very low in carbohydrate leads to a reduction in the body's insulin production, resulting in fat and protein (muscle) stores being used as its main energy source.

The aim of low carbohydrate diets is to force the body to use fat as its main energy source, when this happens a person produces 'ketone bodies' to fuel parts of the body that can not use fat as an energy source - the brain, and red blood cells, in particular. When this happens a person is said to be in a state of ketosis - characterised by smelly breath (an acetone smell like nail varnish) and side effects such as nausea and fatigue.



What's Involved?
Basically you cut out virtually all carbohydrate from your diet and increase your protein and fat intake. So you cut out things like pasta, bread, rice and alcohol, yet you eat unlimited amounts of meat, cheese and butter. That's why the Atkin's diet claims to be so luxurious.


Do Low Carbohydrate Diets Work?
In the short term, most people who go on low carb diets do lose weight and they lose it very quickly. However, the majority of weight loss comes from loss of water and muscle tissue, not fat which is what you need to lose to keep the weight off. Also, if you're trying to lose weight permanently, losing precious lean muscle tissue is like sabotaging your own body. Muscle tissue is metabolically active, and burns calories even when you are at rest. A decrease in the amount of muscle tissue you have will lead to a decrease in the number of calories you need each day to maintain your weight, making it much harder to keep your weight under control when you stop following the low carb diet.


So Why Do It?
People are attracted to low carb diets as weight loss is very rapid, and we like to see instant results on the scales! Lots of Hollywood stars go on low carb diets because they need to drop a dress size for a film - they don't do it for permanent weight loss or good health.


Is Low Carb A Healthy Diet?
In a word, no! Essential vitamins and nutrients come from a balanced diet and low carbohydrate diets are certainly not balanced. You can only get many essential nutrients from fruit, vegetables and grains - low carb diets only allow very small amounts of fruit and veg - definitely not enough to give you your recommended daily allowance. The Atkin's diet claims to clear up all manner of ailments, but the bottom line is these diets are lacking in nutrients essential for good health and the high level of protein puts a huge strain on your kidneys.

Low carb diets are also likely to encourage yo-yo dieting, cycles of losing and regaining weight, which has been shown to be a health risk.


Dietitian Says:
"Diets that recommend we cut back on starchy carbohydrate are an 'in vogue' means of losing weight and have gained a lot of attention in the media. However these diets could actually be harming our health in the longer term. The American Heart Association have expressed concern that their high fat content, particularly saturated fat, increases the risk of heart disease in those who follow these diets long term. Low carbohydrate diets go against all the current healthy eating principles and are deficient in many vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre, as they restrict the intake of fruit and vegetables. There are also concerns that these diets, if followed long-term, may increase the risk of kidney, bone and liver problems.

A balanced, healthy diet combined with exercise is still the most effective and safe long-term way to lose weight. However the results are gradual and require perseverance. Quick fixes such as the Atkins diet do not hold up to scrutiny and at present there are no long-term studies on the safety or efficacy of these diets."

More Information
What's Best for You?
Using the food diary and food database in Weight Loss Resources will help you to decide which is the best dieting method for you. Most people find it a real "eye opener" - you can try it free for 24 hours.



Health Issues
The Food Standards Agency has an informative article about low carbohydrate diets and possible health risks.


INTERESTING EH? FROM AN INDEPENDANT WEBSITE
 

Dennis

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Hi Martin,

Can I firstly correct you, and any other readers, on a very important point regarding the article you have posted:

IT IS NOT FROM AN INDEPENDENT SOURCE

It appears to have been taken from a website belonging to a commercial company called Weight Loss Resources. Far from being independent, they want to sell you their diet plans, most of which are carbohydrate based, so they certainly have a very strong motive for rubbishing any low-carb alternatives! It is hardly surprising they are concerned that the world is slowly coming to realise that high carb diets are killers.

My second point is that practically every paragraph contains either a mistake or a downright lie.
Here's some examples:

The author has completely confused ketosis with ketoacidosis. Ketosis is a perfectly normal and harmless metabolic function. Ketoacidosis is a dangerous side effect of diabetes, particularly but not exclusively in Type 1. It is only ketoacidosis that is characterised by pear drops breath.

In ketosis the body's fat and muscle cells are used as the energy source - wrong! The body can burn fat cells far easier than it can muscle cells. Fat cells are used first and muscle cells will only be used when ALL the body's fat cells have been utilised.

Fatigue is a side effect - wrong! As fat cells are burned off, so weight reduces, making the body less fatigued and better able to exercise.

You cut out virtually all carbohydrate from your diet - absolute rubbish. Even the lowest carb dietary regime - Atkins - doesn't suggest this. The body needs carbs and the carbs that it gets from fruit and vegetables. What no body needs is starch, so it is perfectly valid to cut out (or reduce) wheat products, pasta, rice, potatoes, which provide only carbohydrate and virtually nothing else.

The majority of weight loss comes from loss of water and muscle tissue, not fat which is what you need to lose to keep the weight off - apart from being untrue, this completely contradicts what the author has just said about the result of a low carb diet is that fat will be lost!!

These diets could actually be harming our health in the longer term. The American Heart Association have expressed concern that their high fat content, particularly saturated fat, increases the risk of heart disease in those who follow these diets long term. Low carbohydrate diets go against all the current healthy eating principles and are deficient in many vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre, as they restrict the intake of fruit and vegetables. There are also concerns that these diets, if followed long-term, may increase the risk of kidney, bone and liver problems. - this is a complete and utter lie. The latest US research, commissioned by the American Medical Association and fully endorsed by the AHA is that (a) high carb diets are responsible for more heart disease than low carb ones, and (b) much of the "evidence" that was used to promote the low fat and low protein approach was completely discredited.

Finally if you don't believe what I have written above, a clue is in the text near the end "you can try it free for 24 hours" - THEY ARE SIMPLY TRYING TO SELL YOU THEIR PRODUCT AND IN DOING SO DON'T APPEAR TO GIVE A **** ABOUT HOW MANY LIES THEY TELL YOU TO SUPPORT THEIR PRODUCT.
 

Christian Boy

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Thanks for that Dennis. My intention was not to discredit what has been said, but to ask about what the article has said and for other people to have a view.

I am sorry it I have caused any upset, but your replay was excellent and very informative.
 

fergus

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1,439
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Er, what Dennis said.

Like you, Dennis, I'd read this before and it struck me as pretty ignorant

Also, you need to consider something known as 'fuel partitioning'. In essence, the body has 4 sources of fuel for all cellular processes - diet, glycogen, fat and protein stores. It will use them in that order to fuel all necessary metabolic processes.

However, in the presence of dietary carbohydrate, serum insulin levels increase and effectively 'turn off' the production of the hormones necessary to burn fat. In this way, high carb diets disable the bodys ability to metabolise its own fat stores. So even when hungry, i.e. when the bodys cells are short of fuel, it can only get this fuel by eating more carbs - the fat stores remain virtually untroubled. When on a low carbohydrate diet, the body switches into production of glucagon which, should the diet be short of the fuel necessary, it can very easily access stored fat to cover the shortfall. This is one reason low carb diets tend to be much more effective in weight loss, and why people on these diets usually describe having more energy rather than less.

All the best,

fergus
 

johnoswaldallan

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Although I have had type1 diabetes for some 37-38 yrs my understanding of diabetes until relatively recently can at best be described as abysmal. After for many years trying to achieve the unachievable and keep my B’S’s at reasonable levels, I came to a realization that my problem was carbohydrate intake. The idea perpetuated by dieticians and other healthcare professionals involved in the care of diabetes, that even though I am diabetic I can virtually eat what carbs I like (the good long acting carbs of course) and put in insulin accordingly just has not worked for me. I have been on my present low carb diet for approximately 7-8 months. The results have been beyond my wildest dreams. I now have approx 30 carbs per day, I have reduced my insulin considerably and my B’S’s are near normal (no more going from very high to very low sometimes within the space of one hour) Strange thing is that even without a change in my carb intake I am continuing to reduce my insulin.

Best wishes

John
 

fergus

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Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hi John,

Glad to hear the insulin levels are still dropping. Last I heard, you were having a struggle to get the basal doses down, maybe as a result of insulin resistance which might have built up during the high-carb years. Are you winning the battle?

All the best,

fergus
 

johnoswaldallan

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Hi fergus

Have dropped the lantus by 12 units per day. It’s all coming to-gether well. You were right when you said that this would probably happen. By the way is it OK to still call you fergus, as I am aware that you have recently been canonized or would you prefer me to put the saint in front of your name?

Best Regards

John
 

fergus

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Messages
1,439
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I see what you've done there! The gas terminal associations are purely coincidental, and there's a whole separate thread on flatulence in the forum if if that's what lights your fire. Probably even one on pumping, too.

Might just be your man for the impending fuel crisis, eh?

Did the basal dose splitting work, by the way?

All the best,

fergus