Everyone’s talking about low-carbohydrate diets these days. Although the promoters of these diets claim that they are the “magic bullet” for weight loss, scientists and nutritionists are sounding the alarm that low-carb diets may cause a person to “gain” some very serious health risks.
A low-carb diet is simply a low-calorie diet in disguise. But more importantly, low-carb diets are, by design, high-fat diets. The creators of these diets have to figure out what to tell people to eat if they can’t eat carbohydrates. The only other options are fats and proteins, and the result is a dangerous, seriously unbalanced diet.
Low-carb/high-fat diets pose dangerous health risks and may increase the risk of contracting serious chronic diseases.Studies have linked extreme low-carb/high-fat diets to an increased risk of developing certain disease states, including:
• Alzheimer disease
• blindness and macular degeneration
• some forms of cancer
• cardiovascular and heart disease
• c-reactive protein/inflammation
• metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance
• osteoporosis
• kidney stones
This is due to increased levels of saturated fat and dietary protein in the diet, with inadequate nutrition coming from plant-based phyto-chemicals.
Low-carb diets may increase the risk of birth defects and childhood cancers.Bread, pasta, breakfast cereals and orange juice — foods that are “off-limits” in a low-carb diet — are fortified with folic acid, a micronutrient essential to the neurological development of fetuses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration currently requires that enriched grain products be fortified with the essential vitamin folic acid (the synthetic form of naturally occurring folate, or vitamin B-9, found in many leafy green vegetables, fruits and legumes). Since the fortification of grain-based foods with higher levels of folic acid, beginning in 1999, there has been a remarkable 19 percent drop in neural tube birth defects in the United States. Followers of a low-carb diet do not receive the benefits of folic acid fortification.
Low-carb/high-fat diets are not more effective for weight loss.According to studies published in the
New England Journal of Medicine and the
Journal of the American Medical Association, there are no significant differences in weight loss between low-carbohydrate diets and conventional weight-loss plans. The study published in the
Journal of the American Medical Association (April 9, 2003) reviewed studies of low-fat diets conducted between 1966 and 2003, and found that weight loss from low-carbohydrate diets was associated with length of diet, pre-diet weight, and the number of calories consumed, but not reduced carbohydrate content.
1 The study published in the
New England Journal of Medicine (May 22, 2003) found greater weight loss with a low-carbohydrate diet than a conventional diet during the first six months,
but no significant differences in weight were observed after one year.2
Low-carb diets are perceived to be effective because of the rapid, initial weight loss. However, the weight loss is primarily due to the loss of muscle glycogen and water — not body fat. Loss of muscle glycogen can result in
lethargy and fatigue.
3Foods high in carbohydrates, such as fruits and vegetables, are generally more filling — more “bulky” — than foods high in fat, and less prone to overeating. Foods high in fat can increase energy intake (calories) because they are more energy dense, not as “bulky,” and taste good, leaving eaters desiring more and making it easy to over-consume them. A lifestyle that is high in high-fat foods and low in exercise can lead to weight gain. 4
Carbohydrates, such as pasta, do not make you fat. Consistently overeating calories— whether they’re from carbohydrates, fat, or protein — will make you fat. The only genuine, time-tested principle of healthy, long-term weight loss is to take in fewer calories than your body burns.
Low-carb diets may cause cognitive difficulties.Carbohydrates are the only source of fuel that the human brain — the most energy-demanding organ in the body — can use. Muscle cells can burn both fat and carbohydrates, but the brain does not have the “machinery” to burn fat. Depriving the brain of carbs means depriving it of energy — and the shortfall can affect intellectual performance, such as memory and cognitive processing.
5
Once the body’s glycogen reserve is exhausted, the brain ends up using ketones, a by-product of the breakdown of fat. Ketones are not the optimal energy source for the brain, and their increase in the body has been shown to impair mental judgment.6
Low-carb diets can make people — especially women — short-tempered.A new study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that the brain produces serotonin — which regulates moods and emotions — only after a person consumes sweet or starchy carbohydrates, in combination with very little or no protein. A shortage of serotonin can lead to mood swings and depression. Eating a healthy pasta meal encourages the brain to make serotonin; eating a steak actually stops it from being produced.
7
A Healthier Choice
According to the American Dietetic Association, the voice of nutrition in America, there are no good or bad foods — only good or bad diets. At “Healthy Pasta Meals,” a recent Barilla-sponsored conference in Rome, Italy, a team of 38 nutrition scientists from around the world concluded that the “
Mediterranean diet” is an excellent choice for maintaining overall health.
The Mediterranean diet includes abundant plant foods (such as vegetables and pasta); olive oil; dairy products; fewer than four eggs weekly; fish and poultry in low-to-moderate amounts; red meat in low amounts; and wine with meals, in low-to-moderate amounts. A 2003 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of death from heart disease and cancer.8
1 Bravata DM, Sanders L, Huang J, Krumholz HM, Olkin I, Gardner, CM. Efficacy and saftey of low-carbohydrate diets: a systematic review. JAMA 2003 Apr 9; 289(4):187-50.
2Foster GD, Wyatt, HR, Hill, JO, McGuckin BG, Brill , Mohammed BS, Szapary PO, Rader DJ, Edman JS, Klein S. A randomized trial of a low-carbohydrate diet for obesity. N.Engl J Med 2003 May 22; 348 (21):2082-90.
3Brand-Miller J, Wolever T, Foster-Powell K, Colagiuri S.
The New Glucose Revolution, New YorkL: Marlowe & Company, 2003, p. 17.
4Ibid, p. 22.
5Ibid, p. 16.
6Ibid, p. 18.
7Carbs are essential for effective dieting and good mood, Wurtman says,”
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2004/carbs.html, accessed 3/25/04
8 Trichopoulou A, Costacou T, Bamia C, Trichopoulos D. Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and survival in a Greek population. N Engl J Med 2003 Jun 26; 348(26):2599-608.
