| By Nicole Huges |
| Published:
| 133
Comments | 189
Recommend |
 It’s estimated that 25 million people
worldwide are following one of the dozens of
increasingly popular fat-embracing, low-carbohydrate
diets.
The widespread appeal of
The Atkins Diet, Sugar Busters, Protein Power, Stillman and the bevy
of other
such low-carb plans, say experts, stems
from the fact that they promise to help people to
not only lose weight but to do so rapidly and with
relative ease.
But at what price, ask
critics.
Seems
a rather
significant one if you’re at all concerned
with your long-term health, according to a new
study from the American Heart Association’s (AHA)
nutrition committee.
In its study, the AHA
committee reviewed each of the popular low-carb plans and
found that while they all caused initial weight loss, the Atkins
and Stillman diets mostly caused water and lean
muscle weight loss.
Protein Power and Sugar
Busters caused weight loss via calorie restriction, but
rigidity of
the diets and limited food choices made
them impractical for the long term, the study
says.
“Although these diets may
not be harmful for most healthy people for a short period of
time,” write the researchers, “there are no long-term
scientific studies to support their overall efficacy
and safety.”
Of greatest concern to the
researchers is the surplus of saturated fat and scarcity of
dietary fiber often found in the various low-carb
regimens.
They cite clinical studies
showing fiber—particularly whole grains, fruits and
vegetables—to be quite beneficial in fighting cancer and heart
disease. Low-carb plans are noted for providing
dismal amounts of dietary fiber.
Even worse,
notes lead
study author Sachiko T. St. Jeor, R.D.,
Ph.D., is the bulk of scientific literature linking diets
high in saturated fat with heart disease.
“These diets
are generally associated with higher intakes of
total fat,
saturated fat and cholesterol because the
protein is provided mainly by animal sources,”
notes Dr. St. Jeor.
Because these diets
restrict healthful foods that provide essential nutrients and do
not provide the variety of foods needed to adequately meet
nutritional needs, the researchers advise anyone
thinking about undertaking such a plan to think
twice.
“Individuals who follow
these diets may be at risk for compromised vitamin and mineral
intake, as well as potential cardiac, renal, bone and
liver abnormalities overall,” they
conclude.
Over the long term, notes
Dr. St. Jeor, diet composition should be consistent with a smart,
relatively low-fat protein- and carbohydrate-balanced eating plan that supports weight
maintenance and lowers chronic disease risk.
Research Rundown: The Hidden Dangers of Low-Carb
Diets
There is overwhelming
evidence that very low-carbohydrate
diets may carry a host of long-term effects that could prove
to be detrimental to dieters. These include:
Increased Cortisol
Levels: The hormone
insulin actually suppresses cortisol (a catabolic hormone in
the body
that can cause lean muscle breakdown). However, with
low insulin
output due to the absence of carbohydrates,
cortisol levels could increase. High levels of cortisol have
been linked
to many diseases including some cancers.
Vitamin and Mineral
Imbalances: Deficiencies in
certain vitamins and minerals may also result from a diet
regimen that advocates the elimination of whole food
groups, such as carbohydrates. This is
why many
low-carb diets recommend a good multivitamin and
multimineral supplement when on the diet.
High
Cholesterol: Very low-carb diets may be beneficial for short-term
weight loss; however, there is evidence suggesting this sort
of dietary
regimen could lead to long-term adverse
health effects.
Many published studies have
taken a hard line against the diet, suggesting, for example,
“hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol) is to be expected in a
greater part of the adherents to such a
diet,” and, “low-carb, high-fat
diets seem
to be potentially hazardous to health."
Another recent study
published in the Journal of the American College of
Nutrition says, “While high-fat diets may promote
short-term weight loss, the potential hazards for worsening
the risk for progression of atherosclerosis override the
short-term benefits.”
So the real and final
question to ask is … are you willing to sacrifice health for losing weight quickly —
especially considering much of the
weight loss is from water and lean muscle?
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| Research
Update |
| Study: Diets High in Fat
May Be
Toxic |
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Eating too much dietary fat at one time
releases toxins
that not only promote
body fat
accumulation but may
also increase your risk for
colon cancer, according to new
research from
the University
of Texas Southwestern
Medical Center in
Dallas.
Their findings,
published this year in the journal
Science,
reveals the body’s natural mechanisms
aren’t built to handle lithocholic acid, a
toxic byproduct of dietary fat, in the volume
generated by high-fat
diets.
“Lithocholic
acid is highly toxic, and it
builds up in a high-fat
diet,”
says lead researcher Dr.
David Mangelsdorf, professor
of pharmacology
at UT
Southwestern.
“We don’t know how
it causes cancer; but it is
known to cause cancer in mice, and people
with colon cancer have high
concentrations of it.”
Dr. Mangelsdorf says the
body’s natural
lithocholic acid-response mechanism
simply wasn’t built to handle the
amount of fat in the modern American
diet.
What This Means to
You: “Our bodies can
handle slight changes in lithocholic
acid that come from a normal diet, but
not a high-fat diet,” says Dr.
Mangelsdorf.
“The
current American diet can provide
more fat on a daily basis than a human
being was ever meant to
handle.”
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| A Good Night's Sleep Can
Help You Lose Weight, New Research
Shows |
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People suffering from mild
depression or anxiety may find relief in
keeping with nutritious eating habits,
according to a new report published in
the Journal of the American
Dietetic Association.
“There is a relationship
between psychological
distress and dietary
practices,” notes lead author Dr. Alan R.
Kristal, a professor
of
epidemiology at the
University of
Washington.
Using data from a
national survey of 3,500 adults, the
researchers found that men and women who
reported being psychologically
distressed were more than twice as likely to
indulge in unhealthy nutritional
practices such
as skipping
meals and eating for
emotional reasons.
Poor diets often result
from depression and then
depression may follow poor
eating,
leading to a sort of
endless loop, notes Dr.
Kristal.
What This Means to
You: Focusing on a
well-balanced diet and eating several small
meals throughout the day may
help control appetite, supply valuable nutrients
to the body and ultimately,
alleviate depression, says Dr.
Kristal.
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