Diet Low Carbs

This study has just been presented at The Endocrine Society’s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. June 11, 2009.

Moderately restricting the intake of carbohydrates, without calorie restrictions and weight loss, can help increase a sense of fullness.

Barbara Gower, PhD, a professor in the Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham and her co-workers investigated whether a modest reduction in dietary carbohydrates, or "carbs" would improve feelings of fullness batter than a carbohydrate level comparable to that of a typical U.S. diet.

The study group had their carbohydrates lowered by 12 %. A typical American diet has 55% of their daily calories coming from carbohydrates: sugars, starches and fiber. The moderate carbohydrate dieters had an increased fat consumption- 39% versus 27 % of calories. This adjustment allowed both groups to consume the same amounts of proteins – 18% of their calories. This was done because proteins can influence both satiety (fullness) and insulin secretion.

14 adults were given the control diet and 16 adults were given the moderately reduced carbohydrate diet for a month. All participants were monitored to maintain their original weight. After 4 weeks adjustment to their diet they were given a test meal. Blood chemistry was analyzed for levels of insulin and blood sugar both before and after their meal.

This study showed that even in the absence of weight loss, a modest reduction in dietary carbohydrates was sufficient to lower insulin and stabilize blood sugar. Ratings of fullness were higher in the group on the moderate-carb diet before eating the test meal and stayed higher for a longer time after the meal, compared with those eating the standard diet.

Gower said, "Over the long run a sustained modest reduction in carbohydrate intake may help to reduce energy consumption and facilitate weight loss".

The latest modification of Atkins original diet plan is called the ‘ECO-Atkins’ Diet. It substitutes plant based proteins for animal based proteins and helps people lose weight and lower their cholesterol level. Dr. David J A Jenkins, lead author of the study states, "In just 2 weeks on the "Eco-Atkins diet, everything starts to look much better metabolically."

This study of the new diet modification of the Atkins low carbohydrate diet appeared in the June 8th issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Dr. Atkins original diet went against all conventional wisdom at the time he introduced it. His diet was evidence based. He treated his many cardiac patients with his high-fat, high-protein, low carbohydrate diet and saw incredible results. Not only did their blood metabolism improve but they shed excess weight easily without hunger. 

Although most cardiac health indicators improved; the cholesterol level did not drop. Dr. Jenkins, who is research chair in nutrition and metabolism at the University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital and his team sought to maintain the high protein low carb ratio of the Atkins diet, but in a way that might promote lowering the cholesterol level.

Half of the study participants 22 men or women who were overweight and had high cholesterol levels were placed on a low-fat, low-carb, high-vegetable, plant-based protein diet. The other 22 men or women were given a high-carb, lacto-ovo (dairy and eggs only) vegetarian diet. The 2 groups lost the same amount of weight, 8.8 pounds, but the group who consumed the plant-based proteins also saw an improvement in their LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

This study was a very short term study and leaves many questions unanswered. Will this way of eating translate into less disease in the long run. Will this diet approach satisfy peoples hunger so that they can stay on it while not participating in a study where the meals were prepared for them. The more scientific studies performed on weight loss diets and health issues the better for our generation.

We currently suffer from a global pandemic of diabetes and in the US alone there are estimated to be 57 million pre-diabetics. It is time the worlds dietetic associations provide us with a very clear picture of what exactly consitutes a healthy diet.