Is Following a Low-Carbs Diet Safe?

A low-carb diet is where fruits, whole foods, and most vegetables are all extremely restricted from the diet. Carbohydrate consumption has been linked to weight loss and improved health, however cutting out carbs is extremely restrictive and most likely unnecessary.A low-carb diet is described in length in this article along with its drawbacks

What is a Low-Carb Diet?

A low-carb diet is one that restricts the intake of digestible carbs.

Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for your body. They can be found in bread, beans, fruits, grains, legumes, milk, pasta, vegetables, yoghurt, and baked products, among other things.

Since carbohydrates are restricted on a no-carb diet, one must eat foods that are high in protein and fat instead, such as meats and fish.

A low-carb diet can be followed in any way that works for you. Nuts, seeds, non-starchy veggies, and high-fat fruits like coconut and avocado are common diet staples for those who adhere to this philosophy.

Despite the fact that they contain carbs, these meals are high in fibre. As a result, they contain a negligible quantity of net carbohydrates, which are those carbs remaining after deducting the fibre content. 

A low-carb diet can be compared to a ketogenic diet, which restricts your carb intake to fewer than 30 grams per day and encourages you to consume 70% or more of your daily calories from fat.

Losing Weight Through a Low-Carb Diet

• In general, cutting back on carbs can aid in weight loss. You can lose weight by eating less calories and more protein or fat instead of carbohydrates.

• Additionally, the rapid reduction of water weight that occurs with following a low-carb diet is one of the primary benefits of this type of diet. Due to the fact that carbs contain around three grammes of water in your body, this is a common occurrence.

• A study of 79 obese adults revealed that those who restricted their carb intake to fewer than 30 grammes per day shed 8.8 pounds (4 kilogrammes) more than those who controlled their fat intake to fewer than 30 percent of daily calories.

• In other studies, researchers have found that dieters who stick to low-carb or ketogenic diets for more than a year get better results than those who stick to low-fat diets. 

• Mixed results might be found in the research. The long-term weight loss benefits of low-carb diets have been found to be indistinguishable from those of low-fat diets in several studies.

• Following a no-carb diet is likely to lead to weight loss in the short run, based on these results. Even yet, if you want to lose weight, you don’t have to cut out all carbohydrates. It’s less restrictive to gradually reduce your carb intake and, more crucially, to decrease your overall calorie intake.

Is Following a Low-Carbs Diet Safe? 

• According to a big study, those who eat a low carbohydrate diet are more likely to die early and from a variety of chronic conditions. Because of this, specialists recommend that dieters steer clear of low-carb diets.

• Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHNES) between 1999 and 2010, Dr. Lodz and his colleagues investigated the relationship between low-carb diets and the risk of death from any cause among nearly 25,000 participants.

• A low carbohydrate diet was also linked to an increased risk of death from heart disease, stroke, and cancer, according to the study’s authors.

• According to the results of the survey, people who eat the fewest carbs have a 32% increased risk of dying young, regardless of the cause. This was compared to the carbohydrate intake of the other subjects.

• There was also a 51% higher risk of death from coronary heart disease, a 50% higher risk of death from cerebrovascular illness, and a 35% higher risk of death from cancer among low carbohydrate eaters. Older, non-obese individuals had the strongest correlations.

• Meta-analysis confirmed these findings, finding that persons who consume the least carbs have a 15% higher overall mortality risk, a 13% higher cardiovascular mortality risk, and an 8% higher cancer mortality risk.

• Diets low in carbohydrates should be avoided. In these diets, fibre and fruit consumption is decreased while cholesterol, animal protein, and saturated fat intake is raised. Mineral, vitamin, and phytochemical differences may also play a role.

• The scientist concluded that that long-term low-carbohydrate diet plans are associated with an increased risk of death from any cause and deaths related to cerebrovascular disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer in the general population.

Conclusion

The recent study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress has concluded that low carb diets can increase the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Low carbohydrates might seem beneficial in the short term and can lead to weight loss but it is not safe and should be avoided. You are better off following a balanced diet.