Low Carb Diets: The Good

 Low-carbohydrate diets for weight loss, such as the Keto diet, have received a lot of attention over the past decade. A low-carb diet focuses on foods high in protein and fat. Many types of low-carb diets exist, and each diet has varying limits on the type and amount of carbs you can eat. A typical low-carb diet limits the daily intake of carbohydrates to between 60 and 130 grams, while a ketogenic (keto) diet tends to stay below 30 grams of carbohydrates.

In last week’s post we discussed the potential negative effects of a low carbohydrate diet. This week we look at the potential health benefits of following a low-carb diet.

1.   More weight loss (at first) than other types of diets

Cutting carbs is one of the simplest and most effective ways to lose weight.

People on low-carb diets lose more weight, faster, than those on low-fat diets — even when the latter are actively restricting calories. This is because low-carb diets rid excess water from your body, lowering insulin levels and leading to rapid weight loss in the first week or two.

In studies comparing low-carb and low-fat diets, people restricting their carbs sometimes lose 2–3 times as much weight in the first six months, however the difference in weight loss between diets is usually insignificant after the six-month mark.

2. Appetite reduction

Hunger tends to be the worst side effect of dieting, which is one of the main reasons why most people eventually quit their diets. A low-carb diet usually leads to an automatic reduction in appetite, and often when people cut carbs and eat more protein and fat they end up eating far fewer calories.

3. Increased loss of abdominal fat

Not all fat in your body is the same- where fat is stored determines how it affects your health and risk of disease.The two main types of fat are subcutaneous fat, which is under your skin, and visceral fat, which accumulates in your abdominal cavity and is typical for most overweight men.

Visceral fat tends to lodge around your organs. Excess visceral fat is associated with inflammation and insulin resistance — and may drive metabolic dysfunction (https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/metabolic-syndrome)

Low-carb diets are effective at reducing this harmful abdominal fat. In fact, a greater proportion of the fat people lose on low-carb diets seems to come from the abdominal cavity. Over time, this could lead to a drastically reduced risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

4. Triglycerides tend to drop drastically

Triglycerides are fat molecules that circulate in your bloodstream. It is well known that high fasting triglycerides — levels in the blood after an overnight fast — are a strong heart disease risk factor.

One of the main drivers of elevated triglycerides in sedentary people is carb consumption — especially in the form the simple sugars. When people cut carbs, they tend to experience a dramatic reduction in blood triglycerides.

On the other hand, low-fat diets often cause triglycerides to increase.

 5. Increased levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is often called the “good” cholesterol.

The higher your levels of HDL relative to “bad” LDL, the lower your risk of heart disease One of the best ways to increase “good” HDL levels is to eat fat— and low-carb diets include a lot of fat. HDL levels increase dramatically on healthy, low-carb diets, while they tend to increase only moderately or even decline on low-fat diets.

6. Reduced blood sugar and insulin levels

Low-carb and ketogenic diets can also be particularly helpful for people with diabetes and insulin resistance, as cutting carbs lowers both blood sugar and insulin levels drastically.

Some people with diabetes who begin a low-carb diet may need to reduce their insulin dosage dramatically. If you take blood sugar medication, talk to your doctor before making changes to your carb intake, as your dosage may need to be adjusted to prevent hypoglycemia.

7. May lower blood pressure

Elevated blood pressure, or hypertension, is a significant risk factor for many diseases, including heart disease, stroke and kidney failure.

Low-carb diets are an effective way to lower blood pressure, which should reduce your risk of these diseases and help you live longer

8. Protective against metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a condition highly associated with your risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of symptoms, which include:

• Abdominal obesity

• Elevated blood pressure

• Elevated fasting blood sugar levels

• High triglycerides

• Low “good” HDL cholesterol levels

However, a low-carb diet has been proven effective in treating all five of these symptoms

9. Therapeutic for certain brain disorders

The brain needs glucose, as some parts of it can only burn this type of sugar. This is why your liver produces glucose from protein if you don’t eat any carbs. Yet, a large part of your brain can also burn ketones, which are formed during starvation or when carb intake is very low.

This is the mechanism behind the ketogenic diet, which has been used for decades to treat epilepsy in children who don’t respond to drug treatment. Very low-carb and ketogenic diets are now being studied for other brain conditions as well, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease

The Takeaway: While the benefits of following a low carb diet have been extensively reported, long-term compliance is a limiting factor. The sustainability of the diet has been called into question, and the results of the diet’s effects after discontinuing need to be examined. A low-carb diet usually leads to a reduction in appetite, and when people cut carbs and eat more protein and fat they often end up eating far fewer calories. In studies comparing low-carb and low-fat diets, people restricting their carbs sometimes lose 2–3 times as much weight in the first six months, however the difference in weight loss between diets is usually insignificant after the six-month mark.