A popular method of losing pounds quickly, a low-carb diet limits carbohydrate foods (grains along with starchy vegetables and fruit, foods with added sugar, most alcohol, etc.) and instead focuses on foods that are high in protein and fat. It is not the case that all low-carb plans are alike, as there are high-fat, low-carb varieties (like the keto diet) and high-protein and low-carb ones, but the benefits from a diet low in carbs are certainly impressive.
What makes the diet low in carbs efficient? It’s due to causing glucose (sugar) store to quickly be depleted; when the supply is depleted, your body starts to make use of fat as fuel (a combination of coming from your diet and your own store of fat).
Do you realize that low-carb diets have been utilized in the medical community for over 100 years? Find out about the many advantages of a low-carb diet by reading the article below.
Eight Benefits to a Low-Carb Diet
1. Fast Weight Loss
In terms of losing weight, calorie tracking is insane, but shifting your attention to the types of foods you eat and making a conscious effort to eat could make all the difference.
Low-carb diets are known as being able to help you lose weight quickly that doesn’t leave you hungry, or needing to track calories. Indeed, many notice weight loss after an eating plan that is low in carbs even if they’ve previously tried “everything else” and haven’t seen the results they were hoping for.
A 2014 study in 2014 by National Institutes of Health found that, following a comparison of the two in overweight adults, low-carb diets were more effective for weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor reduction when compared to diets with low fat, as demonstrated by 148 participants taking part in both kinds of dietary programs for 12 months.
What makes low-carb diets, especially the keto diet, so effective for shedding weight, even in people who typically struggle to shed pounds? When we consume food items that contain sugar and carbohydrates the hormone insulin is released as a reaction to increase blood glucose (sugar).
Insulin is sometimes referred to as a “fat-storage hormone” because one of its functions is to tell cells to store as much available energy as they can. The energy is stored as glycogen from the glucose in carbohydrates since glycogen serves as the “primary” energy.
Eliminating carbohydrates from the diet and keeping the body’s glycogen stores low or almost empty, we can stop the release of insulin, and storing fat. In fact, less insulin circulating around our bloodstream means that the body is forced to exhaust all its glycogen reserves. The body will then look into the fat stores that are hidden away in our adipose tissue (body fat) to continue to fuel.
2. Greater Cognitive Function
The carbs and fats usually are in inverse relation to your diet. The majority of people maintain their the amount of protein they consume fairly steady, but normally the more sugar and carbs they consume, the less healthy fats they consume.
It’s a concern since we require healthy fats to maintain proper brain function in mood control, mood and the regulation of hormones. While initially a sugary or high-carb food may make you feel awake and alert, soon after you’ll probably crash and feel exhausted as well as irritable, angry and cranky.
Sugar is addictive and has significant effects on the brain, particularly in relation to the increase of levels of anxiety, cravings and fatigue. However certain types of healthy fats such as cholesterol, work as antioxidants as well as precursors to essential brain-supporting substances and neurotransmitters that regulate memory, learning as well as mood and energy.
Your brain is composed largely from fatty acids. It requires a constant flow of fats from your diet in order to perform optimally.
A 2012 study published in The Journal of Physiology found evidence of the pronounced metabolic effects of a high-sugar diet coupled with a deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids on cognitive capabilities. These results were due to the association of consuming high levels of glucose and insulin action, which regulate the brain’s signaling mediators.
As one might expect, the unhealthy diet that was high in sugar but low in healthy fats such omega-3 fatty acids is associated with lower cognitive scores as well as insulin resistance.
Research suggests that the ketogenic diet is particularly therapeutic in terms of protecting the health of your brain. Researchers believe that those with the greatest insulin resistance might exhibit a decrease in cerebral blood flow and, consequently, less brain activity.
It is because insulin acts as an “vasodilator” which increases blood flow in order to increase glucose supply to the organs and muscles, including the brain. This vasodilator function is stopped in the event of an individual developing insulin resistance over time from an excessive intake of sugar and carbs and results in a reduction in the perfusion of brain tissue and the amount of activity.
In certain studies, improvement have been observed in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia patients who eat a ketogenic diet due to factors like increased mitochondrial function. One European Journal of Clinical Nutrition study uncovered new evidence suggesting the therapeutic potential of ketogenic diets in the treatment of multiple neurological diseases that are not epilepsy or Alzheimer’s. These include headaches neurotrauma, Parkinson’s disease, sleep disorders, brain cancer, the autism spectrum and multiple sclerosis.
3. Lower Risk of Metabolic Syndrome and Heart Disease
A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that low carb ready meals are more effective at reducing certain metabolic and heart disease risk factors than low-fat diets are, plus at least equally effective in reducing weight and other risk factors.
The study investigated the effects of diets with low carbohydrate intake (<=45 percentage of calories from carbohydrates) in comparison to diets with low fat (<=30 percent energy coming from fat) on risk factors for metabolic disease by conducting a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies. Twenty-three studies from various nations with the total of 2,788 participants were used in the analysis.
The results showed that both low carbohydrate and low fat diets decreased weight and improved metabolic risk factors. But compared with participants on diets with low fat, those who follow low-carbohydrate diets had a higher increase in “good” higher-density lipoprotein cholesterol and a greater reduction in triglycerides.
They also experienced a lower reduction in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. This was more than the low-fat diet group. Be aware that higher levels of cholesterol haven’t been proven to cause heart disease!
These findings were true despite the fact that the reductions in body size, weight, and other metabolic risk factors weren’t significantly different between the two diet groups. They suggest that satisfying lower-carb diets, which are higher in fats, can aid in beating heart disease risk factors just as as diets that are difficult to maintain and more likely to leave people in a state of hunger.
4. Lower Risk for Type-2 Diabetes
Researchers note that despite the increasing prevalence of type 1 and 2 diabetes and the rising cost of resources needed to monitor and treat diabetic patients, the medical profession generally hasn’t had much success in decreasing either the number patients who are affected, or the extent of consequences. As prescriptions for diabetes-related medications continue to increase, there’s an easy, effective cost-effective, low-cost solution that’s confirmed to work with diabetes: cut down on the amount of starch and sugar in the diet.
Researchers from the Department of Endocrinology the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension at SUNY University of Brooklyn point out that a diet high in carbohydrates increases postprandial plasma glucose levels and insulin secretion, thereby increasing risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, hypertension dyslipidemia, and obesity.
Numerous studies have proven that a low-carb diet is an effective natural treatment for diabetes and a powerful tool for prevention of patients suffering from Type 2 Diabetes. It also helps reduce risks for diabetes complications and related risk factors like obesity or heart disease.
A growing body of evidence shows that although a diet high in “healthy carbs” like whole grains is still recommended to many sick patients, low-carbohydrate diets are comparable if not better than traditional low-fat/high-carbohydrate diets for weight reduction, improvement in the dyslipidemia of diabetes and metabolic syndrome as well as control of blood pressure, postprandial glycemia and insulin secretion.
In a research study in 2005, published in the Upsala Journal of Medical Science that included two different groups of obese patients with type 2 diabetes two diets were evaluated in relation to glycemic control and body weight. An entire group consisting of obese patients with type 2 diabetes was placed on a low-carb meal (1,800 calories for men and 1,600 calories women) that consisted of 20 percent carbohydrates as well as 30 percent protein and 50 percent of fat.
Fifteen obese diabetes patients were placed on a diet high in carbohydrates for the purpose of forming a control group. Their diet comprised of the same calories for women and men comprised about 60 percent carbohydrates 15 percent protein, as well as 25 percent of fat.
Positive effects on glucose levels were seen very quickly in the group following the low-carb plan. Six months later, an impressive decrease in body weight for patients on the low-carb diet group was also seen and it remained the same one year later.
5. Help Fighting Cancer
Research shows that a diet rich in refined sugars and refined carbohydrates is a major cause of damage caused by free radicals and feeds cancer cells, which may help them proliferate faster. Because diets that are low in carbohydrates dramatically reduced sugar consumption and a lower intake of processed and grain-based foods, they might serve as a natural treatment, making the immune system improve as oxidative stress goes down.
Research suggests that the intake of carbohydrates impacts prostate cancer biology which was demonstrated by mice that have been fed a no-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (NCKD) experiencing much smaller tumors and extended duration of survival than mice that were fed the standard Western diet. The mice fed an equivalent to the standard human Western diet had more levels of serum insulin levels, which were associated with significant higher levels of blood glucose and tumor tissue growth.
In the process of stopping the flow of energy to cancers healthy cells are protected because they’re able use fat as energy source. Cancer cells however, thrive off of glucose and don’t have the ability to shift metabolically to utilize fat.
6. More Cravings Less Frequent and Not hungry!
One of the greatest benefits of a low-carb lifestyle or keto diet is eating healthier fats and proteins in place of sugar and carbohydrates can be very satisfying as it helps to reduce Ghrelin which is known as known as the “hungry hormone.”
According to research the insulin hormone negatively regulates ghrelin, and high-density lipoprotein could be a particle that acts as a carrier that increases the circulating levels of ghrelin. In other words, carbs boost insulin rapidly leading to hunger pangs after which the blood sugar drop and ghrelin increases.
Fats and proteins, on the other hand are known for their ability to turn on your body’s satiety hormones , allowing you to last longer between meals without having to take a snack.
To get off the roller-coaster of lows and highs in insulin, you need to gain control of your main appetite-enhancing hormones. The most efficient way to accomplish this is to maintain your appetite-boosting sugar levels low and to include high-quality proteins and fats with every meal, particularly early in the morning when you eat breakfast that sets the mood for the entire day.
Ketones produced by the body as a result of the ketogenic diet have been shown to help curb hunger and make keto fasting more manageable. In research conducted on average weight adults, the consumption of exogenous ketone supplements have been proven to cause the suppression of ghrelin, a reduction in hunger , and less desire eating.
7. Better Digestion
A lower sugar intake means a better digestive function for the majority of people because sugar feeds “bad bacteria” that thrive in the gut. The results of a diet high in carbs and sugars could lead to the development of candida-related virus IBS or worsened symptoms of leaky gut syndrome.
Plenty of veggies, high-quality proteins and healthy fats, on the other hand they can function as fat-burning foods , which can help nourish the digestive tract and decrease the growth of bacterial.
The results of a study in 2008 that was published in Journal of the American Gastroenterological Association found that people suffering from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) (IBS) notice improvement in their symptoms after initiating a very low-carbohydrate diet (VLCD). When participants with moderate to severe IBS were given a two-week standard diet, then four weeks of a VLCD (20 grams of carbohydrates a day), the majority reported improvements in stomach discomfort, stool habits and quality of life.
8. Better Hormone Regulation
We’ve all heard about the positive effects that the low-carb diet has on the hormones that regulate appetite and insulin, but going low-carb appears to also aid in balancing neurotransmitter functions in certain people and therefore improve mood.
Researchers who were part of researchers from the Discipline of Psychiatry and School of Medicine at the University of Adelaide compared the hormonal and psychological impacts of a diet with low protein high-carbohydrate (LPHC) diet with an extremely high-protein, lower-carbohydrate (HPLC) diet for women suffering from a hormone disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) over 16 weeks. They observed significant reductions in depression and improvement in self-esteem for those on the low-carb diet.
All participants attended weekly exercises, group support and educational program and took The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale between the beginning and the conclusion in the research. The HPLC diet was found to help regulate hormones naturally and was linked to significant reductions in depression-related symptoms as well as improved wellbeing and a higher probability of being more observant in long-term treatments for obesity.
Final Thoughts
As you can observe, numerous studies show that following a low-carb diet can bring about improvements in the management of weight, cognitive function, heart well-being, blood sugar, and cancer prevention, in addition to other benefits of a low-carb lifestyle.
The low-carbohydrate diets can be found in ketogenic diets and Atkins — South Beach and Dukan begin with a low-carb diet before moving to healthier carbs.
The evidence suggests that to enjoy the benefits of a low-carb diet, it is essential to adhere to the same diet for longer than a month.