The American Heart Association (AHA), for example, points out that most Americans already eat more protein than their bodies need. It warns that high-protein animal foods (recommended by low carb diets) are usually also high in saturated fat, and their consumption for a sustained period "raises the risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke and several types of cancer." ("High Protein Diets," 2001) The AHA also points out that a high-protein diet puts a large number of people who can't use excess protein effectively at higher risk of kidney and liver disorders, and osteoporosis. (Ibid)
Coronary heart disease and stroke are the result of a high-fat diet while increased risk of cancer is due to the restrictions on consumption of fruits and vegetables that contain a number of cancer-fighting antioxidants and phytochemicals. A high-protein diet could be particularly damaging for the kidneys. This is because increased protein intake leads to a build-up of nitrogen (in the form of urea) in the blood, which needs to be cleaned from the blood, resulting in increased urination and dehydration. This puts severe strain on our kidneys resulting in chronic kidney disease.
Proponents of the Atkins' Diet and some studies that are funded by the Atkins' Foundation highlight the finding that the Atkins' Diet significantly improves blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The American Heart Association and other experts who have evaluated such studies conclude that any drop in cholesterol and triglyceride levels is a general feature of weight loss rather than a 'special feature' of a low-carb diet as blood fat levels merely fall with body fat levels. (Quoted by Barrett 2004)
Finally, there is no getting away from the "boring" fact...
" The patients in the study had "previously failed to lose weight in multiple medically supervised attempts, and were given a standardized form with instructions on the amylase-free diet (Jancin, 2001)." There was no exercise program provided, as the patients were unable to exercise without extreme difficulty. The results showed that "three-quarters of participants who were compliant with therapy averaged a 4.6% loss in body fat and a 3.1 pound gain
"Excessive caffeine intake can lead to a fast heart rate, diuresis (excessive urination), nausea and vomiting, restlessness, anxiety, depression, tremors, and difficulty sleeping." (MedlinePlus, Medical Encyclopedia, Website, 2003) The heart is clearly effected by the way in which we eat, although sometimes not as major focus when the goal of losing weigh is at its highest emotional stage. Obesity is regarded as one of the most physically, emotionally and socially
Diets and Young Women It seems that women today are exceptionally obsessed with their bodies and how they look. Our culture admires the ultra-thin while ostracizing and ridiculing the overweight and obese. The overweight are seen as weak and even lazy, while those who are thin are seen as strong and energized. The media continually shows thin people enjoying and participating in life - it is as if fat people do
LOW FAT DIETS ARE HEALTHIER THAN THE ATKIN'S DIET The philosophy behind so-called "low carb" diets such as the Atkins Diet is that obesity is primarily the result consuming too many carbohydrates, and that the traditional medical focus on lowering fat intake is partly to blame for obesity in the United States. The theory underlying the Atkins Diet philosophy is that carbohydrate consumption stimulates elevated insulin levels in accordance with their
The table below represents the major diets over the past few decades that have some medical and longitudinal veracity (e.g. they are not fad diets, e.g. "grapefruit diet"). Of course, each new issue of a woman's magazine purports to have the right answer with the right diet, which only shows America's obsession with losing weight and bears the question -- if these new diets worked so well, why would we
Therefore, the only value of a diet is in its capacity to be maintained over the course of a lifetime; otherwise there is no point to it. Nutritional Plan To lose excess body weight and maintain a healthy weight and body composition without excess fat over the long-term, the nutrition plan must eliminate fats of all kinds as much as possible as well as simple carbohydrates. Both fats and simple carbohydrates
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