A low carbohydrate diet is a plan for weight loss in which you reduce your intake of carbohydrates in favor of protein. Extremely popular in the mid-2000s, there are several variations on the basic plan. There have been no long-term studies of the effects of a low carbohydrate diet on health.
The Facts
A low carbohydrate diet is a diet intended to cause weight loss by reducing the number of calories ingested from sources of carbohydrates like breads, pastas and fruit and replacing them with calories ingested from sources protein and fat like meat and eggs. Carbohydrates from processed foods and beverages that contain excess amounts of refined sugars are also reduced. Carbohydrates are restricted to less than 20 percent of the daily intake of calories.
Function
When you eat carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into sugars. These sugars cause your blood sugar level to rise, which causes you insulin level to rise. Peaking insulin levels cause your body to store those sugars as fat. Low carbohydrate diets are intended to reverse that process: by reducing your carbohydrate intake, you reduce your blood sugar and insulin levels. This encourages your body to burn fat cells for energy, resulting in weight loss.
Types
There are several different low carbohydrate diets, including the Atkins diet, South Beach diet and Zone diet. The Atkins diet works by reducing carbohydrate intake to lower your to the point where ketosis begins and your body burns stored fat instead of glucose for energy, leading to weight loss. The South Beach Diet makes distinctions between good carbohydrates and bad, and good fats and bad. Eating foods on the good list reduces hunger so you eat less and lose weight. The Zone diet advocates eating carbohydrates, fats and proteins in rations of 30 percent, 30 percent and 40 percent to achieve a metabolic state that is said to reduce your hunger and cause weight loss.
Effects
Low carbohydrate plans remain popular because they lead to noticeable initial weight loss, much of which comes from the diuretic nature of the diet. A low carbohydrate diet places fewer restrictions on your intake of meat, cheese and dairy products than a low fat, low calorie diet, which can make it easier to follow for a longer period of time.
Consideration
Although variations on low carbohydrate diets around since the 1960s, there have been no long-term studies on the effects of increased protein intake. The Nutrition Committee of the American Heart Association has expressed concern that some low carbohydrate plans nearly eliminate fruits and vegetables from your diet, a restriction that reduces your intake of fiber and other important dietary nutrients.
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