Controversial Low Carb Diets

Recently, I completed an intersession course on Human Nutrition (KIN 110). In the course, one of the things we learned about was weight management and diet plans. Dieting has been around since the 17th century and has been changing ever since. One of the most infamous diet plans, and the one I will be focusing on in this blog, was created by Dr.Atkins in 1972 called the "Diet Revolution" (AKA: Low Carbohydrate Diet). One year after the introduction of this diet plan, the American Medical Association called the diet dangerous. (Insel et al., 2011) Yet, this diet plan still exists to this day, so somehow, this technique has to be successful....but also dangerous....?

Before moving into the controversial issues of the low carb diet, I should clarify what is a low carb diet. As the name implies, this diet is based upon a low intake of carbs as a weight loss tool. Specifically, this weight loss plan is designed to put your body into the state of ketosis by consuming 20-50g of carbohydrates per day. (Dill, 2011) The upside to this diet plan is that it allows you to consume an unlimited amount of fat and protein!! As you can see, the latter is what makes this diet plan so appealing.

So the controversial issue at hand is whether or not a low carb diet is the solution to weight loss.

On one hand, a low carb diet promotes weight loss through three mechanisms. First, low carbohydrate intake leads to the depletion of glycogen stores leading to an initial rapid weight loss from water. (Dill, 2011) Glycogen is the storage form of carbohydrate used by our body (so any excess carbs is stored as glycogen in our liver and muscles). Secondly, low carbohydrate intake leads to a production of ketones. Excess ketones in the body leads to the state ketosis (which is when your body does not have the energy from carbohydrates to break down fat). In this state, your appetite actually decreases and as a result, your overall energy intake decreases. (Dill, 2011) Last but not least, this type of diet tend to be low in total energy intake and as a result, results in weight loss. (Dill, 2011) Some studies even show that this diet plan can alleviate some cardiovascular disease risk factors. However, this study was done on adult rats, so the effects on human could vary.

On the other hand, the risks that associates with this diet plan includes nutrient inadequacy (ex. Vitamin E and A) from inadequate consumption of a variety of foods. (Dill, 2011) Secondly, this diet allows you to consume excess amounts of total fat and saturated fat which increases the risks for cardiovascular disease. (Dill, 2011) Thirdly, dehydration is very likely, due to the body trying to get rid of the excess by-products of excess protein intake through urine. (Dill, 2011)

So the question still stands: is it worth it?

Personally, I would have to say no. First of all, more studies need to be done on the effects of a low carb diet before we can associate weight loss to low carb diet. Furthermore, as I have learned in KIN 110, any type of diet won't work because our body DEFENDS itself against weight loss. (Dill, 2011)

Therefore, the apparent fact is that there are no short-cuts or easier ways to body weight loss but to keep ourselves active physically. Accordingly, the best solution is to incorporate physical activity into our daily lives.

References:

Dill, R. (2011). Human nutrition: human issues. Unpublished manuscript, Department of Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.

Insel, P., Ross, D., McMahon, K., & Bernstein, M. (2011). Nutrition. United States of America: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, LLC.

Acai Berry: The Super Berry?

Over the past year, there has been a lot of talk about a berry called "Acai Berry". This berry has been labeled by the media as the "Super Berry" or "Super Food" for its incredible health claims, such as anti-aging, weight loss, cure for diabetes, or even penis enlargers.

 

Personally, the first time I heard about these berries was through the constant spamming of emails in my Hotmail inbox. Because of the immense amount of spam I was getting about these Acai Berries, I was curious enough to search this up in MedLine (which is a database for scientific journals/articles). Not so surprised, there were only 3-4 articles on these berries. However, through these hypes, people (or should I say scammers) are willing to make a buck or two by creating ridiculous products that have miraculous health claims with no scientific evidence to back it up. As a result, the purpose of today's blog is to help you discern the credibility of certain websites.

This is the website I will be looking at: http://www.slimberry.com/customers?t=CD957_396553095

  So what makes this website less credible?

• Domain names ending with .net or .com are usually not a credible source of information. This is because ANYONE can make a domain name. 
• Furthermore, if you type in the link www.slimberry.com ,you'll notice that this site is actually based upon referrals. This means each customer will get an incentive to lure more customers into using their products. In my opinion, sites that use this technique has less of a credibility.
• The health claims stated are too good to be true. People claim to have lost weight 12 pounds in 2 weeks using this product.

• Most importantly, there are no scientific evidence what-so-ever, other than the statements given by the media. It is true that Acai berries are high in antioxidant but there is no sufficient data that links antioxidants to weight loss, as provided by the link above. (However, antioxidants have been linked with helping CVD, hypertension and infertility in men though)

• The statement made by the doctor doesn't link weight loss to acai berries but rather to a "healthy diet". Yet, they still claim it "dissolves fat tissues". In a way they are correct, but they are taking a sneaky approach to try and fool you into buying a product that has fast weight loss results. Having a "healthy diet" is a behavioural change which is a lot harder to do than buying this supplement and "thinking" its going to help you lose weight.

• They also talk about Acai's fat burning qualities: "Acai's fat burning qualities will help to free your system of waste, toxins, and excess pounds".  However, like above, no scientific evidence is provided.  
• It should be noted that the trial version isn't even free as well and there is no money back guarantee. This shows their confidence in their own products.

Finally, most of these Acai berry products often contain prescription medications. This means that it is not natural and the results you achieve are most likely not due to the Acai Berries.

In conclusion, always be careful of the information the web or any media related source gives you. If it sounds too good to be true, then it most likely is!