Re: Is dietary carbohydrate essential for human nutrition?

[Guest guest]

Hi Bill:

Not as far as I know.

Rodney.

>> " However, it appears that during starvation ..., an adequate amount> of substrate for the CNS is provided through gluconeogenesis and> ketogenesis (6). The elimination of dietary carbohydrate did not> diminish the energy supply to the CNS under the conditions of these> experiments.> > Second, carbohydrate is recommended to avert symptomatic ketosis.> [but] In the largest published series on carbohydrate restricted> diets, ketosis was not typically symptomatic (7).> > The most direct way to determine whether carbohydrate is an essential> nutrient is to eliminate it from the diet in controlled laboratory> studies. In studies involving rats and chicks, the elimination of> dietary carbohydrate caused no obvious problems (8–12). It was only> when carbohydrate restriction was combined with glycerol restriction> (by substituting fatty acids [which are a minor component of dietary> fats] for triacylglycerol [the form in which nearly all dietary fats> occur]) that chicks did not develop normally (13). ...> > The usual way to discover the essentiality of nutrients is through the> identification of specific deficiency syndromes (4). I found no> evidence of a carbohydrate deficiency syndrome in humans. ... [T]he> traditional Eskimo diet is very low ( 50 g/d) in carbohydrate (2). ...> > "Although there is certainly no evidence from which to conclude that> extreme restriction of dietary carbohydrate is harmless, I was> surprised to find that there is similarly little evidence to conclude> that extreme restriction of carbohydrate is harmful. In fact, the> consequential breakdown of fat as a result of carbohydrate restriction> may be beneficial in the treatment of obesity (7). Perhaps it is time> to carefully examine the issue of whether carbohydrate is an essential> component of human nutrition."> > http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/75/5/951-a> > hmmm>

[Guest guest]

If you are keen on experimenting, the best thing to do would be to

try it and share the results, impressions, which, as with everything

else, I have reason to

believe will greatly vary from person to person. I practiced very low

carb dieting in conjunction with mild cr for a few months between

late

2003 and early summer 2004. This necessarily involved high fat, high

to moderate amounts of (in this case animal)protein intake. The first

two weeks were a rather restive adaption period, followed by a month

or so of calm. After about a month and a half I began experiencing a

state of almost ontinuous stress, alarm and anxiety, and the

compulsive

need to be always doing something physically demanding-long intensive

gym sessions, running from place to place, seeming never to tire out,

being rather agressive

amd most worringly sleed time had shrunk to 2 hours a night and

mostly this was only possible if I went to bed early enough in the

evening. I never could stay in bed after midnight. At 4 months my

scalp hair had gone from no gray at all (I was 34) to very noticibly

gray

and I was showing otherwise some pretty unmistakable signs of

accelerated

aging. This was conclusive enough for me! I began to include some

carbs in the form of oatmeal at breakfast, still clinging to the

notion that a more moderate approach was still a good idea. It took a

few more months however during carbs were inven more increased till

sleep patterns became more normal and that tension, psychologically

speaking, could be eased to the point were the compulsion to fidget

and and exercise let off a bit. This is basically my experience with

low-no carb dieting with the result that I have no desire to try it

again. But no doubt the approach might proove more positive in

someone else.

> >

> > " However, it appears that during starvation ..., an adequate

amount

> > of substrate for the CNS is provided through gluconeogenesis and

> > ketogenesis (6). The elimination of dietary carbohydrate did not

> > diminish the energy supply to the CNS under the conditions of

these

> > experiments.

> >

> > Second, carbohydrate is recommended to avert symptomatic ketosis.

> > [but] In the largest published series on carbohydrate restricted

> > diets, ketosis was not typically symptomatic (7).

> >

> > The most direct way to determine whether carbohydrate is an

essential

> > nutrient is to eliminate it from the diet in controlled laboratory

> > studies. In studies involving rats and chicks, the elimination of

> > dietary carbohydrate caused no obvious problems (8–12). It was

> only

> > when carbohydrate restriction was combined with glycerol

restriction

> > (by substituting fatty acids [which are a minor component of

dietary

> > fats] for triacylglycerol [the form in which nearly all dietary

fats

> > occur]) that chicks did not develop normally (13). ...

> >

> > The usual way to discover the essentiality of nutrients is

through the

> > identification of specific deficiency syndromes (4). I found no

> > evidence of a carbohydrate deficiency syndrome in humans. ... [T]

he

> > traditional Eskimo diet is very low ( 50 g/d) in carbohydrate

(2). ...

> >

> > " Although there is certainly no evidence from which to conclude

that

> > extreme restriction of dietary carbohydrate is harmless, I was

> > surprised to find that there is similarly little evidence to

conclude

> > that extreme restriction of carbohydrate is harmful. In fact, the

> > consequential breakdown of fat as a result of carbohydrate

restriction

> > may be beneficial in the treatment of obesity (7). Perhaps it is

time

> > to carefully examine the issue of whether carbohydrate is an

essential

> > component of human nutrition. "

> >

> > http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/75/5/951-a

> >

> > hmmm

> >

>