With the sudden boom of dieting in the country, different diet programs have been introduced in the country. Although many experts believe that proper exercise and not only diet can lose those pounds in a healthy way, many people still believe in the power of diet programs and diet plans. One of the most controversial kinds of diet plans is the low carbohydrate diet program, which focuses on the reduction of carbohydrate consumption in the body.

According to the theory, when carbohydrates are no longer being taken in, the body will be forced to use fats and water as alternative sources of energy; thereby helping to shed off those unwanted pounds.

Fats, unbeknownst to many, can actually be converted to energy. The body just doesn’t use it as the first priority because it is morea H complex in structure and therefore, harder to break down and convert into energy. Among the popular low carbohydrate diets in the country is the Atkins diet.

Despite arguments from its critics, low carbohydrate diet has proven its effectiveness in terms of losing that extra weight. To date, it counts millions of followers not only in the country but also outside America.

Actually, cutting down on carbohydrates in the diet is a practice that people have been doing for years. When people cut down on their rice or bread or do not eat rice at all, they are reducing their carbohydrate intake. Of course, because it is not an official diet plan they are not really restricting themselves completely. When you are under a diet plan, you are not allowed to eat any kind of carbohydrates.

One of the advantages of low carbohydrate diet is the fact that it can actually increase the levels of good cholesterol in the body. This is really good news to people who have a heart problem. This is perhaps the reason why Atkins diet was used for cardio patients. This diet plan can also reduce the amount of triglycerides in the body. Triglycerides can be dangerous when combined with a high level of LDL or bad cholesterol. Both can increase the risk for heart attack and heart disease.

Low carb diet plans are also found to be good in balancing mood swings. They will not be prone to extreme lows such as depression or extreme high. People who are under the program are found to have fairly stable energy levels unlike those with high carbo levels.

By Low Jeremy - diet-plans.articlesforreprint.com

Metabolic Advantage of Low Carbohydrate Diet

The metabolic advantage in low carbohydrate diets - greater weight loss than isocaloric diets of different composition.

It is widely held that a calorie is a calorie and by this it is usually meant that two isocaloric diets lead to the same weight loss. A calorie is a measure of heat energy and when food is being referenced, it represents the total amount of energy stored in food. Used in this way, all calories are equal, whether from fat, protein, or carbohy-drates. However, the idea that a dietary calorie is a calorie as far as how it influences useable and storable energy, body weight, and composition under all conditions is simplistic at best.

Many factors influence how much energy is actually derived from dietary macro¬nutrient intake. Calories can be “wasted” in many ways. Decreased absorption from the GI tract and increased excretion are two obvious ways. An increase in thermo¬genesis and energy expenditure will also waste calories. In the case of thermogenesis (thermic effect of feeding), or the heat generated in processing food, the thermic effect of nutrients is approximately 2-3% for lipids, 6-8% for carbohydrates, and 25-30% for proteins. This in itself is almost enough to explain the metabolic advantage of low-carb, high-protein diets. But there’s more involved. For example it has been shown that increasing dietary protein increases fat oxidation. As well, the calorie cost in the use of the various macronutrients for energy also differs, with protein being the least efficient.

Through the interaction of both cytoplasmic and mitochondrial pathways it is possible to store both carbohydrates and protein as body fat. In the case of protein, it involves both the glucogenic and ketogenic amino acids. The ketogenic influence on body fat is obvious, since ketones are readily metabolized to two carbon units and can be directly used for lipogenesis. The glucogenic amino acids can enter the TCA cycle as intermediates and either through a short or long pathway end up as 2 carbon units that can be exported to the cytoplasm for lipogenesis.

Low-carbohydrate and higher-protein diets do more than increase weight loss. It’s also been shown that low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets favorably affect body mass and composition and that these changes are independent of energy intake.

But this is nothing new. Prior research also found that a low carbohydrate diet results in a significant fat loss and an increased retention of muscle mass, either alone or in comparison with a high carbohydrate diet.

For example, in 1971 a group of researchers looked at the effects of three diets that had the same calorie and protein levels, but varying fat and carbohydrate content.They found that, as the carbohydrates in the diets went down, there was an increased weight and fat loss. In other words, the men who were on the lower carbohydrate diets lost the most weight and body fat.

In 1998, another study, this time involving obese teenagers, came up with similar results. After 8 weeks on a low carbohydrate diet, the teens not only lost significant amounts of weight and body fat, but even managed to increase their lean body mass.

In the study, a 6-week carbohydrate-restricted diet resulted in a favorable response in body composition (decreased fat mass and increased lean body mass) in normal-weight men. The results of this study indicate that a low carbohydrate diet mobilizes and burns up body fat more than a high carbohydrate diet, while at the same time preserving muscle mass.

Insulin, by varying the amount of fat and carbohydrate storage, can also make the body more efficient in the use of dietary calories. For example, decreased insulin levels, increased insulin sensitivity and even lack of an insulin receptor in fat tissue leads to increases in energy expenditure and helps to protect against obesity even in obesiogenic environments.

By Peter Abraham Andrews - sportsathletenutrition.com