Low Carb Diets | Eat Fat Lose Fat
Low Carb Diets are arguably the most popular form of dieting in the world, thanks in great part to the many fashion models who swear by it, and to the medical research also.
Carbohydrates are metabolized into glucose in your bloodstream, raising your blood sugar levels. Low carb diets attempt to avoid triggering excessive surges of insulin used to burn off the blood sugar.
When blood sugar rises to excessive levels, the insulin forces that excess glucose into your fat cells. In other words, too much insulin causes us to “get fat”.
The glycemic index (GI) was devised in 1981 in Canada by Dr. David Jenkins as a way to help diabetics choose food.
The higher the number on the GI, the faster the carbs are released. The carbohydrates that release quickly into the body are the ones that cause sudden surges in insulin. Over time, those high surges of insulin can cause the body to become insulin resistance (Syndrome X).
Other health issues that experts have related to blood sugar are diabetes, obesity, elevated triglycerides, heart disease, headaches, loss of energy, chronic fatigue, yeast infections, depression, and premenstrual syndrome.
Carbohydrates are metabolized into glucose in your bloodstream, raising your blood sugar levels which in turn raises your insulin levels. Low Carbohydrate Diets attempt to avoid triggering excessive surges in insulin.
Insulin performs a vital function in your body by bringing blood sugar levels down and under control, excessive insulin forces blood sugar (glucose) into your fat cells. Low Carbohydrate Diets believe that too much insulin causes us to “get fat”.
Carbohydrates are organic compounds that include sugars, starches, celluloses, and gums and serve as a major energy source in our diet. Grains, pastas, fruits, and starchy vegetables like potatoes are the most common carbohydrate foods.
The carbohydrates that release quickly into the body are the ones that cause sudden surges in insulin. Over time, those high surges of insulin can cause the body to become insulin resistance (Syndrome X).
The Glycemic Index (GI) was devised in 1981 by Canadian Dr. David Jenkins as a way to help diabetics choose which foods best regulate insulin. The higher the number on the GI, the faster carbs are released.
Studies have focused on diets that reduce calories via a low-carbohydrate (Atkins diet, Scarsdale diet, Zone diet) diet versus a low-fat diet (LEARN diet, Ornish diet). These studies have found that low carbohydrate diets based on vegetable sources of fat and protein are associated with less coronary heart disease.
Randomized controlled trials concluded that fat-restricted diets are no better than calorie restricted diets in achieving long term weight loss in overweight or obese people.
However, potential favorable changes in triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol values should be weighed against potential unfavorable changes in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol values when low-carbohydrate diets to induce weight loss are considered.”
A controlled Dietary Modification Trial found that a diet of total fat to 20% of energy and increasing consumption of vegetables and fruit to at least 5 servings daily and grains to at least 6 servings daily resulted in:
no reduction in cardiovascular disease
an insignificant reduction in invasive breast cancer
no reductions in colorectal cancer
A comparison of Atkins, Zone diet, Ornish diet, and LEARN diet in premenopausal women found the greatest benefit from the Atkins diet.
The choice of diet for a specific person may be influenced by measuring the individual’s insulin secretion:
In young adults “Reducing glycemic [carbohydrate] load may be especially important to achieve weight loss among individuals with high insulin secretion.” This is consistent with prior studies of diabetic patients in which low carbohydrate diets were more beneficial.
The American Diabetes Association released for the first time a recommendation (in its January 2008 Clinical Practice Recommendations) for a low carbohydrate diet to reduce weight for those with or at risk of Type 2 diabetes.
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