Low Carb Safety?

[Guest guest]

Dave,,

>>I use various supplements.

All high fat diets, including those that are under medical supervision, require

suplementation as it is impossible to consume all your nutrients via food that

way. Supplements however, can never replace food and I wouldnt want to rely on

a diet that " needed " supplements if longevity was my goal, or would I call such

a diet, Optimal..

>>The breakdown in RDA and DV as represented by software called Fitday,

indicates that my nutrition is in the

normal range. However, without supplementation, I would be lacking in several

areas, particularly potassium and folates.

I am not suprised. But.... What about the other 1000s of chemicals that exist

in food that they havent isolated yet, nor put into supplements? Think of all

the recent additions that have been added to supplements, like lycopene, lutein,

differing forms of vit e, and vit a, etc etc. If one eats a diet that is

nutrient deficient in the nutrients we know of and have isolated, it is also

nutrient deficient in the nutrients and areas we havent isolated yet.

Supplements can only replace the areas we know of, and not the areas we havent

isolated yet. And, what we do know, is that there is much more chemicals there

we havent isolated than we have isolated.

Would you be willing to post your diet here. You may find some constructive

criticism here from other list members also.

>> I have not read the high fat Kwiterovich study. However, such studies seem

to regard 40% carbohydrates as low or normal. 5% to 10% carbohydrates may be a

very different context for such a study. (a new

ballgame)

Actually, you might want to read the study before you criticize it. Its not a

new ball game. This diet was an extremely low carb diet and was maintained in

weight stable subjects for 2 years. While there is no set definition on what

high carb and high fat are, i wouldnt want to make any sweeping generalizations

without looking at specifics.

The following four recent studies all looked at differing diets from different

perspectives and all came to the same conclusion, the best diet for weight loss

and/or healthy weight is a low fat, high carb diet, but made up of foods that

are naturally low fat, and high in fiber. Low carb diets, can be effective

for losing weight, but they came with complications and health risks, some

serious, some fatal. .

1) A comparison of low-carbohydrate vs. high-carbohydrate diets: energy

restriction, nutrient quality and correlation to body mass index.. Am Coll Nutr.

2002 Jun;21(3):268-74.

2) Scientific Review On Popular Diets uKennedy ET, et al. Popular Diets:

Correlation to health, nutrition and obesity. JADA. 2001; 101:411-420

3) Critical Review Of Wt Loss Diets u, JW. Konz, EC, , DA.

Health Advantages and Disadvantages of Weight-Reducing Diets: A Computer

Analysis and Critical Review. Journal Of The American College of Nutrition, Vol

19, No 5, 578-590 (2000)

4) Nation Study of 4000, 40-59, US, UK,. Japan, China u Van Horn, PhD, 44th

AHA Annual Conference on CVD Epidemiology and Prevention, SF, 3/2004

>>Since modern food began including margarine as a cheap alternative to butter

around the 1920s, population studies of fat would have included those trans

fats.

Actually, not true. While margarine did increase the amount of trans fats in

the diets, the majority of trans fats in the US Diet doesnt come from margarine.

It comes from baked goods and processed foods, fried foods, and also animal

products, where some trans fats occur naturally. Margarines account for only a

smaller percentage of the total. In addition, there have been clear estimated

of the damage of trans fats in the food supply. And, while they are damaging,

they are not the biggest problem with the US food supply/diet.

From.... Trans Fatty Acids in Nutrition Labeling, Nutrient Content Claims, and

Health Claims (July 11, 2003).

Cakes, cookies, pies, crackers, pies, breads - 40%, Animal Products - 21%, Fried

foods, potato chips, corn chips, popcorn, misc - 22%, Margarine - 15%

And again, this is a sweeping generalization and critciism of the ameirican

diet. There have been so many changes since margarine was introduced, with most

of the dramatic changes coming since 1980, almost 80 years after the

introduction of margarine into the food supply, that to make such a criticism

is unjust.

>>I have read material from the use of Ketogenic diets for epileptic

children. I took it as a clue that such a diet is a viable alternative.

All come with strict cautions and all come with insitance of stict monitoring

and medical supervision and are recommended for no more than 2 years while under

strict medical supervision.. . Why take the risk when there are proven, safer,

healthier weighs to lose weight and NOT risk your health. See study below

>> I never believed that idea, counted calories, and thus find

myself in a minority within a minority.

Yes, if you are able to live a long life in optimal health on such a plan, you

will be a minority in a minority.

But if Calorie Restriction with Optimal Nutrition is your true goal, that it

would be virtually impossible to achieve that on a high fat diet, regardless of

the type of fat.

In Health

jeff

Safety of low-carbohydrate diets. Obes Rev. 2005 Aug;6(3):235-45. Crowe TC.

Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, Burwood,

Australia.

Summary Low-carbohydrate diets have re-emerged into the public spotlight and are

enjoying a high degree of popularity as people search for a solution to the

population's ever-expanding waistline. The current evidence though indicates

that low-carbohydrate diets present no significant advantage over more

traditional energy-restricted diets on long-term weight loss and maintenance.

Furthermore, a higher rate of adverse side-effects can be attributed to

low-carbohydrate dieting approaches. Short-term efficacy of low-carbohydrate

diets has been demonstrated for some lipid parameters of cardiovascular risk and

measures of glucose control and insulin sensitivity, but no studies have

ascertained if these effects represent a change in primary outcome measures.

Low-carbohydrate diets are likely effective and not harmful in the short term

and may have therapeutic benefits for weight-related chronic diseases although

weight loss on such a program should be undertaken under medical supervision.

While new commercial incarnations of the low-carbohydrate diet are now

addressing overall dietary adequacy by encouraging plenty of high-fibre

vegetables, fruit, low-glycaemic-index carbohydrates and healthier fat sources,

this is not the message that reaches the entire public nor is it the type of

diet adopted by many people outside of the world of a well-designed clinical

trial. Health effects of long-term ad hoc restriction of inherently beneficial

food groups without a concomitant reduction in body weight remains unanswered.

PMID: 16045639 [PubMed - in process]

Early- and Late-Onset Complications of the Ketogenic Diet for Intractable

Epilepsy, Kang HC, Chung da E, Kim DW, Kim HD

Epilepsia 2004;45:1116-1123

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to evaluate the exact

limitations of the ketogenic diet (KD) and to collect data

on the prevention and management of its risks.

METHODS: Patients (129) who were on the KD from July

1995 to October 2001 at our epilepsy center were assessed

in the study. Early-onset (within 4 weeks of the

commencement of the KD until stabilization) and lateonset

complications (occurring after 4 weeks) were reviewed.

RESULTS: The most common early-onset complication

was dehydration, especially in patients who started the

KD with initial fasting. Gastrointestinal disturbances, such

as nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation, also were

frequently noted, sometimes associated with gastritis and

fat intolerance. Other early-onset complications, in order

of frequency, were hypertriglyceridemia, transient hyperuricemia,

hypercholesterolemia, various infectious diseases,

symptomatic hypoglycemia, hypoproteinemia, hypomagnesemia,

repetitive hyponatremia, low concentrations

of high-density lipoprotein, lipoid pneumonia due

to aspiration, hepatitis, acute pancreatitis, and persistent

metabolic acidosis. Late-onset complications also included

osteopenia, renal stones, cardiomyopathy, secondary

hypocarnitinemia, and iron-deficiency anemia.

Most early- and late-onset complications were transient

and successfully managed by careful follow-up and conservative

strategies. However, 22 (17.1%) patients ceased

the KD because of various kinds of serious complications,

and 4 (3.1%) patients died during the KD, two of sepsis,

one of cardiomyopathy, and one of lipoid pneumonia.

CONCLUSIONS: Most complications of the KD are transient

and can be managed easily with various conservative

treatments. However, life-threatening complications

should be monitored closely during follow-up.

Low-carbohydrate diets: what are the potential shortand long-term health

implications?Asia Pacific J Clin Nutr 2003;12 (4): 396-404 Shane A Bilsborough

MSc (Nutrition) and C Crowe PhD

School of Health Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia

Low-carbohydrate diets for weight loss are receiving a lot of attention of late.

Reasons for this interest include a

plethora of low-carbohydrate diet books, the over-sensationalism of these diets

in the media and by celebrities, and

the promotion of these diets in fitness centres and health clubs. The

re-emergence of low-carbohydrate diets into

the spotlight has lead many people in the general public to question whether

carbohydrates are inherently 'bad'

and should be limited in the diet. Although low-carbohydrate diets were popular

in the 1970s they have resurged

again yet little scientific fact into the true nature of how these diets work

or, more importantly, any potential for

serious long-term health risks in adopting this dieting practice appear to have

reached the mainstream literature.

Evidence abounds that low-carbohydrate diets present no significant advantage

over more traditional energyrestricted,

nutritionally balanced diets both in terms of weight loss and weight

maintenance. Studies examining

the efficacy of using low-carbohydrate diets for long-term weight loss are few

in number, however few positive

benefits exist to promote the adoption of carbohydrate restriction as a

realistic, and more importantly, safe means

of dieting. While short-term carbohydrate restriction over a period of a week

can result in a significant loss of

weight (albeit mostly from water and glycogen stores), of serious concern is

what potential exists for the following

of this type of eating plan for longer periods of months to years. Complications

such as heart arrhythmias, cardiac

contractile function impairment, sudden death, osteoporosis, kidney damage,

increased cancer risk, impairment of

physical activity and lipid abnormalities can all be linked to long-term

restriction of carbohydrates in the diet. The

need to further explore and communicate the untoward side-effects of

low-carbohydrate diets should be an

important public health message from nutrition professionals.