Benefits Of Low Carbohydrate Diet

Dr. Shyam P Lohani

Carbohydrates are one of three main food types that our body needs to function properly. The other food types include protein and fat. Carbohydrates give the body energy. Our body breaks carbohydrates to use immediately or store them for use later. As soon as we eat carbohydrates, our body converts them into energy and if they are not used immediately, it stores them in the muscles and liver to use later. However, our body converts stored carbs to fat if the body does not use it.

The role of dietary carbohydrates in diabetes has been a subject of much debate for decades. The discussions are mainly focused on the ideal amounts and types of carbohydrates. Low carbohydrate diets, including low carbohydrate, high fat (LCHF) and ketogenic (keto) diets, have been gaining popularity among the general population. It is particularly beneficial for weight loss, but also in people with diabetes for managing blood glucose levels.  However, there is confusion amongst both people with diabetes and health professionals about the suitability of these diets.

Diet plan

Most people with Type 2 diabetes have a reduced ability to remove carbohydrates from their blood efficiently due to insulin resistance. In addition, they may have an impaired ability to transfer glucose into the blood. Type 1 diabetes was historically managed with low carbohydrate, low energy diets prior to the discovery of insulin. Insulin was very effective in controlling blood sugar and people with diabetes sifted themselves from diet and exercise. 

A dietary modification particularly amounts of carbohydrates in combination with regular exercise used to be the traditional recommendation for treating diabetes. Moreover, a low carbohydrate balanced diet has been shown to the reduction of carbohydrates with fairly equal proportions of daily energy intake coming from carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

However, compliance with these lifestyle modifications is less than satisfactory. A high carbohydrate diet raises postprandial plasma glucose and insulin secretion, thereby increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and diabetes. Owing to the easy availability of fast foods, average sugar intake has increased and average fibre consumption has decreased. The shifts in food choices have paralleled the rise in Type 2 diabetes during the 20th century.

A classic dietary pattern, popularly known as The Mediterranean-style diet has been associated with lower body weight, improved glycemic outcomes, and improved cardiovascular risk in people with Type 2 diabetes. The diet consists of high consumption of vegetables, monounsaturated fatty acids, especially olive oil, fruits, cereals, and legumes, low consumption of red or processed meat, and a low to moderate consumption of red wine during meals. 

Low-carb foods include lean meats, such as chicken breast, or pork, fish, eggs, leafy green vegetables, cauliflower and broccoli, nuts and seeds, including nut butter, oils, such as coconut oil, olive oil, and rapeseed oil, some fruits such as apples, blueberries, and strawberries and unsweetened dairy products, including plain whole milk and plain yogurt. 

Exercise is an important part of overall health and also for blood sugar control. People should escape from a sedentary lifestyle; however excessive exercise has harmful effects too. Adults are recommended for doing moderate exercise for 150 minutes a week (a minimum of 10 minutes at a time) for moderate health benefits. For optimal health benefits, 300 minutes of exercise per week is recommended (CDC, 2020). 

Short-term health risks caused by a low-carb diet may include cramping, constipation, palpitations, high cholesterol, headaches, brain fog, lack of energy, nausea, bad breath, rash, and reduced athletic performance. Similarly, long-term health risks caused by a low-carb diet may include nutritional deficiencies, loss of bone density, and gastrointestinal problems. 

There has been concern that high-fat, low carbohydrates diets raise cholesterol and cause heart disease due to their high-fat content. However, low-carbohydrate diets have been found to be healthy and beneficial to most of the people. Also, it has been shown that low-carb diet leads to the reduction in appetite and therefore, helps maintaining healthy weight. 

Benefits

Studies consistently show that when people decrease their carbohydrates and increase the intake of protein and fat and greatly reduce caloric intake. Thus, a low intake of carbohydrates is one of the simplest and most effective ways to lose bodyweight. 

Low-carb diets are very effective at reducing harmful abdominal fat as well. There have been pieces of evidence that reduction in carbohydrate intake dramatically reduces blood triglycerides. Therefore, it is a dramatic increase in good cholesterol levels on healthy, low-carb diets, while they tend to increase only moderately or even decline on low-fat diets. People with diabetes and insulin resistance may, therefore, get benefits from low-carb and ketogenic diets. Low-carb diets are an effective way to lower blood pressure; therefore, the risk of cardiovascular diseases decreases substantially and may help us live longer. 

People looking to lose weight or considering going on a low-carb diet should consult their healthcare providers, particularly dieticians before making any significant changes in their diet plan. People with diabetes who begin a low-CHO diet should seek support from a dietitian who can help create a culturally appropriate, enjoyable, and sustainable plan for a particular person. Available evidences suggest that the low or very low-CHO diet is a healthy eating pattern for individuals living with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes for weight loss, improved glycemic control, and/or reducing the need for anti-diabetic medications.

(Dr. Lohani is a clinical director at the Nepal Drug and Poison Information Centre. lohanis@gmail.com)