English version
German version
Spanish version
French version
Italian version
Portuguese / Brazilian version
Dutch version
Greek version
Russian version
Japanese version
Korean version
Simplified Chinese version
Traditional Chinese version
Hindi version
Czech version
Slovak version
Bulgarian version
 

Don't be confused about low carb diets - 7 key points explained

Diet RSS Feed






With all of the conflicting studies and fuzzy interpretation of


information, it's no wonder that confusion reigns when it comes


to the value and safety of low-carb diets. It seems like heated


debates are raging everywhere!





Whether it's Atkins, the South Beach or some other low-carb plan,


as many as 30 million Americans are following a low-carb diet.





Advocates contend that the high amount of carbohydrates in our


diet has led to increasing problems with obesity, diabetes, and


other health problems. Critics, on the other hand, attribute


obesity and related health problems to over-consumption of


calories from any source, and lack of physical activity. Critics


also express concern that the lack of grains, fruits, and


vegetables in low-carbohydrate diets may lead to deficiencies of


some key nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C, folic acid, and


several minerals.





Any diet, weather low or high in carbohydrate, can produce


significant weight loss during the initial stages of the diet.


But remember, the key to successful dieting is in being able to


lose the weight permanently. Put another way, what does the scale


show a year after going off the diet?





Let's see if we can debunk some of the mystery about low-carb


diets. Below, is a listing of some relevant points taken from


recent studies and scientific literature. Please note there may


be insufficient information available to answer all questions.





- Differences Between Low-Carb Diets





There are many popular diets designed to lower carbohydrate


consumption. Reducing total carbohydrate in the diet means that


protein and fat will represent a proportionately greater amount


of the total caloric intake.





Atkins and Protein Power diets restrict carbohydrate to a point


where the body becomes ketogenic. Other low-carb diets like the


Zone and Life Without Bread are less restrictive. Some, like


Sugar Busters claim to eliminate only sugars and foods that


elevate blood sugar levels excessively.





- What We Know about Low-Carb Diets





Almost all of the studies to date have been small with a wide


variety of research objectives. Carbohydrate, caloric intake,


diet duration and participant characteristics varied greatly.


Most of the studies to date have two things in common: None of


the studies had participants with a mean age over 53 and none of


the controlled studies lasted longer than 90 days.





Information on older adults and long-term results are scarce.


Many diet studies fail to monitor the amount of exercise, and


therefore caloric expenditure, while participants are dieting.


This helps to explain discrepancies between studies.





The weight loss on low-carb diets is a function of caloric


restriction and diet duration, and not with reduced carbohydrate


intake. This finding suggests that if you want to lose weight,


you should eat fewer calories and do so over a long time period.





Little evidence exists on the long-range safety of low-carb


diets. Despite the medical community concerns, no short-term


adverse effects have been found on cholesterol, glucose, insulin


and blood-pressure levels among participants on the diets. But,


adverse effects may not show up because of the short period of


the studies. Researchers note that losing weight typically leads


to an improvement in these levels anyway, and this may offset an


increase caused by a high fat diet. The long range weight change


for low-carb and other types of diets is similar.





Most low-carb diets cause ketosis. Some of the potential


consequences are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and confusion.


During the initial phase of low-carb dieting some fatigue and


constipation may be encountered. Generally, these symptoms


dissipate quickly. Ketosis may also give the breath a fruity


odor, somewhat like nail-polish remover (acetone).





Low-carb diets do not enable the consumption of more calories


than other kinds of diets, as has been often reported. A calorie


is a calorie and it doesn't matter weather they come from


carbohydrates or fat. Study discrepancies are likely the result


of uncontrolled circumstances; i.e. diet participants that cheat


on calorie consumption, calories burned during exercise, or any


number of other factors. The drop-out rate for strict (i.e. less


than 40 grams of CHO/day) low-carb diets is relatively high.





What Should You Do? - There are 3 important points I would like


to re-emphasize:





- The long-range success rate for low-carb and other types of


diets is similar.





- Despite their popularity, little information exists on the


long-term efficacy and safety of low-carbohydrate diets.





- Strict low-carb diets are usually not sustainable as a normal


way of eating. Boredom usually overcomes willpower.





It is obvious after reviewing the topic, that more, well-designed


and controlled studies are needed. There just isn't a lot of good


information available, especially concerning long-range effects.


Strict low-carb diets produce ketosis which is an abnormal and


potentially stressful metabolic state. Under some circumstances


this might cause health related complications.





The diet you choose should be a blueprint for a lifetime of


better eating, not just a quick weight loss plan to reach your


weight goal. If you can't see yourself eating the prescribed


foods longer than a few days or a week, then chances are it's not


the right diet. To this end, following a moderately low fat diet


with a healthy balance of fat, protein, carbohydrate and other


nutrients is beneficial.





If you do decide to follow a low-carb plan, remember that certain


dietary fats are associated with reduction of disease. Foods high


in unsaturated fats that are free of trans-fatty acids such as


olive oil, fish, flaxseeds, and nuts are preferred to fats from


animal origins.





Even promoters of the Atkins diet now say people on their plan


should limit the amount of red meat and saturated fat they eat.


Atkins representatives are telling health professionals that only


20 percent of a dieter's calories should come from saturated fat


(i.e. meat, cheese, butter). This change comes as Atkins faces


competition from other popular low-carb diets that call for less


saturated fat, such as the South Beach diet plan. Low-carb


dieting should not be considered as a license to gorge on red


meat!





Another alternative to "strict" low-carb dieting would be to give


up some of the bad carbohydrate foods but not "throw out the baby


with the bath water". In other words, foods high in processed


sugar, snacks, and white bread would be avoided, but foods high


in complex carbohydrates such as fruit, potatoes and whole


grains, retained.





The information contained in this article is for educational purposes


only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any


disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any


health care program.










About the author:


Emily Clark is editor at Lifestyle Health News and Medical Health News
where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information on
many medical, health and lifestyle topics.

Article Source: Messaggiamo.Com





Related:

» Tattoo Me Now!
» Turbulence Training.. is Amazing
» Acne Free In 3 Days
» Master Cleanse Secrets 10 Day Di


Webmaster Get Html Code
Add this article to your website now!

Webmaster Submit your Articles
No registration required! Fill in the form and your article is in the Messaggiamo.Com Directory!

Add to Google RSS Feed See our mobile site See our desktop site Follow us on Twitter!

Submit your articles to Messaggiamo.Com Directory

Categories


Copyright 2006-2011 Messaggiamo.Com - Site Map - Privacy - Webmaster submit your articles to Messaggiamo.Com Directory [0.01]
Hosting by webhosting24.com
Dedicated servers sponsored by server24.eu