Low-carb diets used for weight loss have been popular for many decades. There are several types of low-carb diet, but they all involve limiting carbohydrate intake to 20-150 grams a day.
The main aim of the diet is to make your body use more fat as fuel instead of burning the carbohydrates that keep coming in as its main source of energy.
How does it work?
A low-carb diet means eating unlimited amounts of protein and fat while strictly limiting carbohydrates.
When the diet is low in carbohydrates, fatty acids move into the blood and are carried to the liver, where some of them are turned into ketones — chemicals the body can use as its main source of energy.
Numerous studies show that low-carb diets are extremely effective for weight loss, especially in people who are overweight or obese. This way of eating considerably reduces fat deposits on the belly as well as around the internal organs.
For details see the study "Efficacy and safety of a high protein, low carbohydrate diet for weight loss in severely obese adolescents"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20304413/
Other studies note that ketogenic diets lead to more than twice as much weight loss as a low-calorie (calorie-restricted) diet
Read the paper "Comparison of energy-restricted very low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets on weight loss and body composition in overweight men and women"
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15533250/
Low-carb diets tend to reduce appetite, which leads to an automatic drop in calorie intake. Besides, this diet lowers the risk of many serious diseases linked to the levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, sugar and insulin in the blood
See the paper "Do ketogenic diets really suppress appetite? A systematic review and meta-analysis"
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25402637/
Drawbacks of the diet
Many people cannot handle the stress of such an abrupt change in their eating and feel downright miserable because of the drastic cut in sugar.
Some people show a rise in "bad" cholesterol and,in very rare cases, a low-carb diet can lead to a condition such as non-diabetic ketoacidosis (a shift in the acid-base balance and the development of acidosis caused by a high concentration of ketone bodies building up in the blood).
For most people, however, low-carb diets are perfectly safe.
Conclusion: low-carb diets sharply limit carbohydrate intake and push the body towards using fat as its main source of energy; they help you lose weight and bring other benefits for your general health.
Join our meetings, learn more, take care and stay healthy!
