While standing in line at your local supermarket and perusing the reading material, you will undoubtedly discover that low-carbohydrate diets are all the rage. Unless you have been living in a media vacuum, this should not come as a surprise. However, you have to ask yourself, regardless of how often you have heard of this new diet, do you really understand the apparent health benefits and implications of a low-carbohydrate lifestyle?
Simply stated, the theory behind a low-carbohydrate diet is that dieters will shed pounds if they significantly restrict foods containing carbohydrates. Low-carbohydrate diets limit the intake of fruit, fruit juice, beans, bread, rice, cereals, pasta, and virtually every grain related food product.
In place of these carbohydrate-rich foods, the diet suggests high-protein foods–which are often high in fat–such as meats and cheeses. Even after carbohydrate restriction is relaxed during later stages of the diet, intake of fatty, high-protein foods remains high.
Contrary to anecdotal accounts of dramatic weight loss from friends, neighbors, or convincing television personalities, studies at the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center have shown that the effect of low-carbohydrate diets on body weight is similar to that of other weight-reduction diets. Tests subjects lost weight during the first six months of the diet but regained some of this weight during the next six months.
After one year on a low-carbohydrate diet, weight loss in the test subjects was not significantly different from test subjects on other diets. While you may lose weight on a low-carbohydrate diet in the short-term, the weight loss is comparable to the classic low-fat, high fruit and vegetable diet.
However, this is by no means a victory for the low-carbohydrate diet. It is well known that the low-carbohydrate diet results in the body having a very low level of metabolically essential sugars. Proponents of the low-carbohydrate diet use the term ‘ketosis’ to explain this dangerously low level of sugars as a benefit to dieters. While the majority of the population is not ignorant, it is unrealistic to expect a good number of people to have the background in biochemistry to be able to wade through these murky waters.
Looking at the pathways the body uses to convert food into energy, it is understandable that a low-carbohydrate diet would limit the amount of sugars that could be used as a fuel. As sugars are the primary fuel for body processes, it is then logical that the body would attempt to burn fat, not out of any pre-existing desire to favor fat over sugars as a fuel source, but out of sheer necessity. When the body begins to use fat from the diet or body fat as a fuel, these long fatty acids are chemically sliced into small fragments called ketones that are unpredictably reactive in the body.
One of the main ketones formed in the body is acetone, a toxic chemical commonly found in nail polish remover, rubber cement, glue, lacquers and cleaning agents in chemical laboratories. In large doses, acetone in the body usually results in shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, vomiting, and a dangerous drop in blood pressure.
The sweet smell of acetone in your breath might be a sign that the diet is working, but, in all likelihood, it is a sure sign that your innards are slowly dissolving in your own juices.
Unfortunately, it is time to face a cold reality. The popularity of diet books and infomercials that promote low-carbohydrate diets is of serious concern because of the lack of scientific evidence to support claims of long-term weight loss. The trend of low-carbohydrate diets is nothing more than an ‘inaction reaction’. In this case, the inaction rests in the laps of couch potatoes the world over.
Reluctance to engage in physical activity and excessive snacking on unhealthy convenience foods has created a society of overweight individuals. Coupled with the constant media bombardment of images depicting sleek and slender men and women, it is no wonder that people are flocking in droves towards self-help books that promise weight-loss with minimal effort.
It is alarming to think that reasonably sane individuals would believe the cheap tricks sold to the masses on seemingly innocuous supermarket shelves. Somehow, a ‘seal of approval’ from celebrities or deceased physicians on a product has become a substitute for prudence.
Time and time again, a balanced diet low in fat and high in grain, fruits and vegetables, coupled with regular exercise has been linked to weight loss and lower risk of cancer. It might not be easy to get off the couch and take a walk, climb some stairs versus taking an elevator, or have an apple for a snack over a bag of deep friend potatoes slices, but somewhere down the road of life, you might be thankful that you did.
