To Be or Not To Be: Low Carb...

I get asked all the time, "what do you think about the Atkin's Diet?". Well, as a nutritional Bio-Chemist, my opinion and answer to that question would have to be a biochemical response.

First of all, lets start with the foundation of the Atkins Diet. Robert Atkins did not invent the Low Carb diet. It was first administered over 80 years ago by John Hopkins Medical School and Hospital for the treatment of pediatric Epilepsy. It was then modified for the U.S. Air Force long before Robert Atkins picked it up to modify it once again.

Our bodies run on glucose as a fuel. We can not store glucose and have enough for about 24 hours. When we have no food for 24 hours, the body turns to burn fat for energy and this is called Ketosis. By having a diet at 80% fat, and these are the right type of fats, some protein and almost no carbohydrates, the body remains in Ketosis and the pH of the blood can change, which can alleviate seizures, either the severity or the occurrence all together.

It is speculated to work because the pancreas has no or low signal to release insulin to counter or escort the glucose into the cells. Keeping the insulin steady in the system will not trigger seizures in the brain.

Like in all things, an excess can bring on side-effects. Some side effects of a Low Carb or Ketogenic Diet may include kidney stones and gall stones, some women may have menstrual irregularities. Because of the amount of fat and protein in the diet, some may suffer from Pancreatitis or inflammation of the pancreas, because there is an increase of fat, some minerals will not absorb correctly, so there can be decreased bone density and sometimes eye problems, sometimes there is a high level of fat build up in the blood, especially if the person is deficient in certain digestive enzymes. All these side effects can be very serious and that is why the Ketogenic Diet has always been administered by nutritional-Medical professionals within the care of a hospital.

Low Carb or No Carb diets can be deceiving, especially since the goal is to keep the blood glucose levels steady. There are some sugar substitutes that are 50% protein, this protein can cause an increase of activity within the cell. As any diabetic can tell you, the use of Aspartame, which is 50 percent phenylalanine, can cause the blood sugar to go out of control. Phenylalanine should not be taken by pregnant women or by people who suffer from anxiety attacks, Diabetes, high blood pressure, phenylketonuria (PKU), or preexisting pigmented melanoma, a type of skin cancer, this is directed by the medical and medical research community.Aspertame also is made up of Aspartic Acid and methyl alcohol or wood alcohol. So, not only do you have the risk of toxicity because of the amino acid phenylalanine, you also have methanol which is considered poisonous even in small amounts. Methanol can cause blindness, brain swelling, and inflammation of the pancreas and heart muscle.

Splenda or Sucralose has still other problems, it was not studied throughly before the FDA approved it. Under scrutiny of the biochemical community, especially after Aspertame was approved without long term study, the following has been noted, this taken from the http://www.low-carbdiet.co.uk/splenda.htm website.

"...Few human studies of safety have been published on sucralose. One small study of diabetic patients using the sweetener showed a statistically significant increase in glycosylated hemoglobin (Hba1C), which is a marker of long-term blood glucose levels and is used to assess glycemic control in diabetic patients. According to the FDA, "increases in glycosolation in hemoglobin imply lessening of control of Diabetes.

Research in animals has shown that sucralose can cause many problems in rats, mice, and rabbits, such as:

Shrunken thymus glands (up to 40% shrinkage)

Enlarged liver and kidneys.

Atrophy of lymph follicles in the spleen and thymus

Increased cecal weight

Reduced growth rate

Decreased red blood cell count

Hyperplasia of the pelvis

Extension of the Pregnancy period

Aborted Pregnancy