Low-Carb Diet Is Not for Everyone
Healthful Vitality | 05/29/2021 | Low-Carb Diet Is Not for Everyone
Certainly, a low-carb diet is known to be among the most popular diets for weight loss. The main reason behind this is that it is the carbohydrate content in our food that gets stored in the form of glycogen in our body [1]. Excessive carb buildup gets transformed into fats which get in our adipose tissues, making us fat. When we reduce its intake in our body, we reduce our chance of accumulating more fat in our body. However, it has been found that a low-carb diet is not for everyone, and if you are trying to lose weight, it might be possible that this method may not work for you.
Why is low-carb diet not effective?
The first question you need to ask yourself regarding this diet is about its efficiency. While people notice some considerable effects on their weight by going for a low-carb diet or keto diet, you need to know the actual science. On further investigation, we understand that the “overnight” loss in pounds is not the result of a fat loss, but it is, in fact, a loss of water from the adipose tissues. As a result, cells shrink in size, and an individual appears to be “leaner.”
The positive side of the story that comes with such a diet is that when people are on a low-carb diet, they tend to avoid bakery items, refined sugars, and processed meals inappropriate for their health and weight. This avoidance helps them to opt for healthier choices automatically, which allows them to lose weight. However, we see that this is not common sight; people often like to switch to unhealthy alternatives with saturated fats and additives that don’t adopt a healthier lifestyle even while following a weight loss diet.
Why Do You Need Carbs?
It turns out carbohydrates are essential for the overall functioning of the body. You cannot avoid one primary macronutrient entirely in your diet to lose weight. Carbs play a crucial role in the human body such as:
● Energy provider for significant body organs such as brain
● Responsible for several metabolic functions in the body
● Regulating the metabolic rate of the body
This is the tip of the iceberg. In human physiology, you will know there are numerous functions carbs have to play in a human body. True, it is not practical to shift this macronutrient to a limited extent to lose weight.
Your central energy metabolism mechanism is primarily dependent on carbohydrates. Glycolysis, glucogenesis, glycogenolysis, and gluconeogenesis are critical chemical reactions happening in the body for several functions. Glucose, which is the unit of carbohydrate, is somehow connected to all of these reactions, without which the normal physiology of humans is not functional.
For instance, your brain primarily depends on glucose for its functioning. When you are taking enough carbohydrates in your body, they get broken down into glucose and provide your brain with the energy it needs to function. In a situation where there is not enough glucose to fuel the brain cells with energy, there comes a shift in the body’s metabolism. Instead of glucose, ketone bodies become the primary sources of energy. None of your body organs are used to this functioning.
Acidosis Risk
Notably, it is the anomaly that comes in the way and several risks associated with this shift in metabolism. It turns out when your body uses the ketone metabolism as the primary energy-giving mechanism instead of the normal glucose metabolism, your body’s pH level tends to get acidic. When it gets more acidic than the normal range (7.35 to 7.45), your body enters a state of acidosis. If not treated in time, you may experience these symptoms:
● Difficulty in breathing
● Sweating
● Loss of appetite
● Palpitations
● Loss of consciousness
If not treated in time, it may lead to coma and eventually death [2]. This situation is a medical emergency, and therefore, you need to be quite vigilant when taking a low-carb diet. You are transforming your energy metabolism level from the normal glucose metabolism to the ketone metabolism.
NOTE: Ketone metabolism results when fats become the primary energy source for your body. In this case, free acetones get released into the bloodstream providing energy to your body organs. Any diet that stimulates this kind of metabolism needs to be followed under strict observation and only for a limited time as any carelessness can cause acidosis.
Hypoglycemia Risk
Not everyone can endure the low blood sugar levels that come with following a low-carb diet. A lot of people may complain of having frequent hypoglycemic conditions [3]. That is when their blood glucose levels drop below 70 g/dL on random glucometer testing. Symptoms of non-diabetic hypoglycemia include the following:
● Hunger
● The pale color of skin
● Sweating
● Difficulty in breathing
● Trembling
● Difficulty in standing
● Altered state of consciousness
● Palpitations
● Pain around the chest area
It is observed that a lot of people experience mild symptoms of hypoglycemia when they start a low-carb diet. It is normal to see it because our body is not used to constant low glucose input, and when there is an anomaly, we may feel some discomfort. Our psychological state may also aggravate it. When a person is not taking an average amount of carbs in their diet anymore, they might be under the pressure that something is missing from their diet.
Whatever might be the case, it is vital to have hypoglycemia awareness [4]. You need to know about your symptoms, and you need to check the frequency of it. The severity and frequency may be an indicator a low-carb diet is not suitable for you.
Who Should Not Go for This Diet?
This diet comes with many risks, and the probability of it working for an individual is considerably low. What’s more, some people should not try this diet as it can aggravate their situation:
● People with cancer and other severe chronic condition
● Those with diabetes (unless recommended by a dietitian)
● People with extreme stress and anxiety
● Those on a lipid medication
How to Lose Weight Naturally?
There are more risks and considerations for a low-carb diet than its benefits. So, think about healthier options when it comes to losing weight. Among other options, one strategy for weight loss is a weight portion reduction. You need to take a low portion diet and consider healthier food choices. You could avoid processed foods and refined sugars; instead, prefer eating more vegetables. Go for healthier fat options such as plant-based oils—couple this with an exercise regime. No doubt, you need to burn more calories than you consume in a day to lose weight.
Conclusion
Indeed, it seems that a low-carb diet is not for everyone for some apparent reasons. These include risk for hypoglycemia, the risk for acidosis in the acute category [5]. On the other side, people might also put themselves at risk of malnutrition. Always consult with a dietitian before going on a strict diet like a low-carb diet to protect yourself against any negative factors.
Related Article: Five Vegan Bodybuilding Food to Include in Your Diet
References
1. Sun, LY., Li, XJ., Sun, YM., et al. LncRNA ANRIL regulates AML development through modulating the glucose metabolism pathway of AdipoR1/AMPK/SIRT1. Mol Cancer. 2018; 17, 127. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12943-018-0879-9
2. Lori-Anne P. Schillaci, Suzanne D. DeBrosse, Shawn E. McCandless. Inborn Errors of Metabolism with Acidosis. Organic Acidemias and Defects of Pyruvate and Ketone Body Metabolism. Pediatric Clinics. 2017; Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2017.11.003
3. Akahito Sako, Hideo Yasunaga, Hiroki Matsui. Hospitalization with hypoglycemia in patients without diabetes mellitus. A retrospective study using a national inpatient database in Japan, 2008–2012. Medicine (Baltimore). 2017; Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5484243/
4. Eduardo Sepúlveda, Rui Poínhos, Gil Nata, Davide Carvalho. Differentiating Hypoglycemia Awareness Status from Hypoglycemia Experience in Tools for Measuring Impaired Awareness of Hypoglycemia. Diabetes Technology & TherapeuticsVol. 22, No. 7. 2020; Available from: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/dia.2020.0034
5. Irfan Idris,1 Andi A. Rasyid,2 Rezky A. Usman. Long-Term Ketogenic Diet Induces Metabolic Acidosis, Anemia, and Oxidative Stress in Healthy Wistar Rats. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism. 2020; Available from: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnme/2020/3642035/?fbclid=IwAR0UOPdqvNW0Z9VZ-lmdl2kdI1qu9XDQnhJCdI-XgsS6DWuq6mgseR8piBg