Low-carb diets have become more popular than ever seen before. Cut down on your carbohydrates and eat more protein is what we hear all the time. The question is whether it works and what consequences it has for the body. If you are also hoping for one of the many low-carb diets, then you might want to read here and see what the latest research in the area is about. Woman with belly fat 1 A low-fat diet is better than low-carb diets for fat loss Low-carb is perhaps best for weight loss, but low fat is better for fat loss. Confused? Research shows that low-fat diets give a greater fat loss on the body than low-carb diets. Loss on the body is generally better for your health. Calorie Calorie, lowering fat in the diet, rather than limiting carbohydrates, causes a greater fat loss. The research thus rejects the claim that limiting carbohydrates is necessary for loss of body fat. Fat loss should be the most important objective for those people who want to lose weight. (1) 2 Low-carb diets damage your heart Low-carb diets damage your heart health and increase the risk of heart disease and early death by up to 50%. Research shows that low-carb diets eventually impair the function of our arteries, cause clogged arteries and cause poorer blood flow to the heart. People on low-carb diets replace carbohydrates with proteins, thus giving the increased risk of heart problems. (2) In addition, studies on mice show that those living for a low protein and high cold-reduced diet live about 50% longer than those on low-carb and high protein diet. (3) A study from Harvard University showed that mice that lived for 12 weeks on low-carb diet showed a significant increase in atherosclerosis, building plaque on the arteries in the heart which is the main cause of heart attack and stroke. The study also showed that low-carb diets reduce the body’s ability to form new blood vessels. (4) 3 Low-carb cures make you sad and stressed! Has the lump just suddenly become a bit shorter? And releases patience faster? So the answer may be that the body lacks carbohydrates. A group of researchers from Australia followed 160 people on diet for a year. Half of them had to eat carbohydrates, and the rest lived after a low-carb cure. It turned out that after a year, the carbohydrate-eating people were both happier, quieter, less stressed and more focused, compared to the group living after the low-carb principle. The reason for this is that carbohydrates raise mood, trigger stress-reducing chemicals in the brain, how much protein and fatty foods break them down. (5) (6) 4 Low-carb diets make you fatier, not thinner! Low-carb cure can lead to stress and depression. The body has a natural need for carbohydrates. If you live after the low-carb principle, hormone changes occur in the body that can lead to weight gain and fatigue because the body becomes stressed. When the body is stressed, high levels of hormones like Kortisol are produced. Cortisol increases your appetite and can lead to sudden overeating at a meal. (7) (8) (9) 5 Low-carb diets are not durable! It is one thing to follow a low-carb diet for six weeks or 6 months. It’s a whole different story if you’re going to follow it for a lifetime. Studies have shown that it is much harder to follow a low-carb diet than a high-carb diet. After all, it’s basically true that you do not eat too many calories during a day. Harvard University has conducted a study where they followed 320 people on diet. After a year, only 75% of the people on the low-carb diet still followed the cure whereas 90% of the people on the high-carb diet were still strong and followed their diet plan to the point. 6 Low-carb diets give you bloated stomach! Do you think it’s the carbohydrates that you can not snap your pants? Then you can think again. According to the National Institute of Digestive Diseases, bloated stomach is a symptom of constipation. Just constipation is a fairly common side effect of a low-carb diet. The study showed that 70% of the participants on a low-carb diet suffered from bloated stomach and constipation. That figure was 30%, with those who followed a high-carb diet. Doctor Arne Astrup, a Danish expert in obesity, concludes that headache, muscle weakness, diarrhea and constipation are common side effects of a low-carb diet such as, for example, Atkins. He states that these side effects may indicate that low-carb diets are not healthy in the long run. 7 People on Low-carb diets, feel cheated! People who follow a Low-carb diet often fall because they miss their carbohydrates. A study, conducted by the University of Toronto, followed 100 women on low-carb and high-carb diets, respectively. After three days, both groups were tested for breakfast where they could eat what they wanted. The group of low-carb diets plumped with calorie and fat-containing empty coal
