Are low-carb diets a recipe to disaster? Part 2

One of the most articulate of the Atkins diet defenders is Anthony Colpo (www.theomnivore.com).

Here is a quick summary of his “6 myths” article:

1. Coronary heart disease (CHD)

If you want to maximize your chances of avoiding CHD, a diet high in antioxidants and phytochemicals, a low glycemic load, and regular consumption of omega-3 fats, appears to be just what Dr Atkins diet recommends.

A low carb diet based on paleolithic food choices, that is, a diet based on free-range animal products and low carbohydrate, low-glycemic plant foods, fits the bill quite nicely. So go ahead, eat your steak and salad!

2. Low-Carbohydrate Diets Contain Too Much Fat, and Fat Makes You Gain Weight

Some folks have been so inculcated with the simplistic “fat makes you fat” theory that they just cannot believe a diet high in fat can lead to a loss of bodyfat.

The fact is, high fat diets can result in spectacular fat loss – as long as carbohydrate intake is kept low. Eat a diet that is high in both fat and carbohydrate and your bodyfat percentages will head north real quick!

The Standard Western Diet (SWD) is typically high in both fat and carbohydrate – and often leads to obesity.

3. Low-carb, High-Protein Diets cause Osteoporosis

A review of the research in this area shows that high protein intake, in the presence of alkalinising fruit and
vegetable intake and adequate calcium intake, either has no adverse affect on bone mass or has a positive affect on bone mass.

We can see that a low-carbohydrate, high fat, high protein diet is a far better choice for building strong bones than a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet.

It ensures adequate intake of protein; it replaces acid-forming, phytate-containing grains and legumes with
alkalinising fruits and vegetables; and the fat content of such a diet assists the absorption of fat-soluble
bone-building vitamins like Vitamin D and K.

4. High-Protein Diets Cause Kidney Disease

Bodybuilders and strength athletes have been consuming high-protein diets for decades. Given the widespread global participation in these activities, if the claims of kidney damage were true, by now there would be an enormous number of case studies of ex-bodybuilders and strength athletes afflicted with kidney disease.

Needless to say, this is not the case.

A comparison of healthy subjects eating 100g or more of protein per day with long-term vegetarians eating 30g or less of protein per day concluded that both groups had similar kidney function. The subjects were aged 30-80 and both groups displayed similar progressive deterioration of kidney function with age.

Individuals with healthy kidney function have little to fear from higher levels of protein consumption.

5. Low-Carbohydrate Diets Put You In Ketosis, And Ketosis Is Dangerous!

First of all, it should be pointed out that not all low-carb diets induce ketosis. Carbohydrates can be restricted, but not necessarily to the point where ketosis is induced (daily carbohydrate intake of 50g or less seems to be a reliablebenchmark).

If carbohydrate intake is kept low enough however, one eventually enters a state known as ketosis, characterised by a measurable increase of ketones in the bloodstream.

Ketones are an intermediate product of fat breakdown, and are an alternative source of energy to glucose.
Ketosis indicates a heightened state of fat-burning.

Contrary to the alarmist claims of some critics, there is nothing dangerous about ketosis. One of the more
important functions of ketones is to serve as an alternative fuel source for the brain – contrary to the claims of some that the brain can only use glucose for fuel.

Despite the hype, healthy people have little to fear from ketosis – unless they have a strong aversion to losing fat!

6. Low Carb Diets Are An Unproven Fad!

This has to be the most ridiculous criticism of all, especially when one considers its source.

The human species has been eating a meat-based diet for 2.4 million years, and analysis of the diets consumed by recent hunter-gatherer societies (the best available surrogate for paleolithic nutrition) shows that plant foods comprised, on average, one-third of daily food intake – the rest was derived from animal products.

What’s more, the bulk of these plant foods were low-glycemic, low-carbohydrate items such as nuts, seeds, wild fruits and vegetables.

Carbohydrate-rich cereal grains did not appear in any meaningful quantity in the human diet until the onset of the agricultural revolution some 10,000 years ago.

Humans evolved on meat-based, low to moderate carbohydrate nutrition, meaning that low carbohydrate diets are far more in accordance with man’s genetic evolution than the low-animal fat, high carbohydrate nonsense that is currently espoused by mainstream authorities.

The anti-animal fat, high carbohydrate diet concept is a mere 4 decades old, nothing more than a speculative construct of mid-twentieth century researchers who were at a loss to explain the high prevalence of CHD in modernized countries.

While the paleolithic diet kept the human species thriving for over two-million years, the track record of the high-carbohydrate, grain-based diet movement is atrocious – their persistent, fanatical rantings against animal fats have been remarkably successful in driving people towards vegetable fats and carbohydrate-rich foodstuffs, the increasing consumption of which has been accompanied by alarming increases in the
incidence of obesity and Type-2 diabetes.

And here is his conclusion, which I quote as is:

“Those criticising low-carbohydrate diets often do so under false pretenses. They unfairly equate high-carb, high-fat diets with low-carb, high-fat diets, even though they have vastly different metabolic effects.

Another tactic employed by such critics is to create fear of possible adverse effects, which upon closer inspection only concern individuals with certain metabolic defects. As we have seen, this tactic is applied to claims of kidney damage and ketoacidosis, even though there is no evidence that low-carbohydrate diets initiate these ailments.

Indeed, hypertensive kidney damage and ketoacidosis are complications of diabetes, a disease associated with excessive carbohydrate intake.

Years ago, I believed the high-carbohydrate propaganda and followed a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet. When it became apparent that this diet was not conducive to optimal health and performance, I had no choice but to experiment. Through trial and error I adopted a paleolithic-style low-carbohydrate diet. The result has been a marked improvement in energy, mental focus, blood sugar control, and an ability to maintain year round single-digit body-fat levels.
I encourage all my personal training clients to follow low-carbohydrate nutrition, and those who take my advice invariably experience benefits similar to my own.