The prevalence of overweight and obesity is climbing at alarming rates around the world, and so is the number of proposed solutions to deal with it. Have you scoured the nutrition and self-help isles at the bookstore lately? There certainly isn’t a shortage of low-carbohydrate diet books, or any other diet book for that matter. This year in the United States alone, we will spend approximately $40 billion on weight loss programs and products, and yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that treatment for obesity-related medical conditions will close in at approximately $100 billion (for 2004). Anyone who has tried to lose weight knows that it is a challenging task. Perhaps this is why we are so vulnerable to fad diets, which often promise a simple, all-curing quick fix.
Dr. Atkins, author of Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution: The High Calorie Way to Stay Thin Forever, and Dr Atkins’ New Diet Revolution, led the movement that declares low-carbohydrate dieting the key to weight loss. Since Dr. Atkins’ first book was introduced over 25 years ago, other diet gurus have followed his lead claiming that consumption of carbohydrates leads to high insulin levels, which according to these diet “doctors,” is the primary cause of overweight and obesity. Their proposed solution is a diet almost entirely composed of protein and/or fat. The latest surveys suggest that approximately 20 percent of Americans are following some version of a low-carbohydrate diet.
Is there any shred of truth to the statements that accuse carbohydrates for our expanding girth? The answer is yes, but Americans have become fatter as our consumption of all three major nutrients has increased. From 1985 to 2000, Americans increased their caloric intake by about 300 calories per day, without increasing physical activity. We’re not just eating more carbohydrates; we’re eating more protein, more fat, more of everything including more meals outside the home. In fact, approximately 30 percent of calories are consumed from restaurants, fast food and other convenience establishments.
Remember the low-fat craze of the 1980s and 1990s? Food manufacturers produced thousands of low-fat and fat-free products to keep up with consumer demand. Somehow, consumers believed that fat-free also meant calorie free, providing a license to overindulge. Will this happen again as the low-carbohydrate craze continues?
There’s no denying that when people follow a strict low-carbohydrate, high protein diet they do lose weight faster than those following a traditional reduced-calorie diet. In fact, the initial rate of weight loss on a low-carbohydrate diet can be impressive for those only concerned with the numbers appearing on the scale. The number of lost pounds is misleading because the initial loss is actually from water. When carbohydrate intake is decreased, the body burns stored carbohydrates for energy, water is released and you lose weight. If you continue to burn fat without carbohydrate, byproducts called ketones build up and can cause fatigue, nausea, and appetite loss.
Research studies comparing low-carbohydrate and reduced-calorie diets have been small and short-term. Among published studies, it appears as though weight loss is mainly due to a reduced-calorie diet rather than the low-carbohydrate diet itself. In one study, dieters on a low-carbohydrate high protein diet lost more weight initially than those on a traditional reduced calorie/fat diet. However, the difference between the two groups disappeared after 12 months. Although low-carbohydrate diets seem effective in the short-term, long-term studies still need to be conducted to evaluate their safety. To date, there is not enough scientific evidence to either make recommendations for or against th
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