Is low carb dangerous? possibly.

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Replies

  • mlboyer100
    mlboyer100 Posts: 115 Member
    auddii wrote: »
    mlboyer100 wrote: »
    realityfades wrote: »
    I don't eat low carb, but I was wondering if low carb diets long term are unhealthy. I came across an NIH article that detailed how many carbs, proteins and fats each and every organ of your body requires. It said that the brain alone requires 120-130 grams of carbs a day to remain healthy. To me, that implies eating a low carb diet may be starving the organs when done long enough.

    Thoughts?

    This is the article for anyone interested: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22436/

    [I am not debating the efficiency of low carb vs CICO for weight loss, I am talking about it's long term effects on organs]

    I've been low carb for 30 years... No I side effects. I have hypoglycemia, opposite of diabetics, but our diets are about the same. The body converts protein into the necessary energy the organs and muscles need to perform. I eat high protein, have lots of energy, do cardio and strength tracings 3-5 days a week, active and healthy! Just passed my annual physical with flying colors. There may be certain health issues where low carb would not be healthy, but for most folks, it's the best way to go if you want to lose weight. I'm at my perfect weight for a 68 year old and have never felt better!

    Question for you; you say you have hypoglycemia. Does that mean that you were hypo before and are controlling your condition with low carb or you went low carb and now have much lower blood glucose levels? Personally I went lower carb (still around 100g per day) and got much more frequent low blood sugars and so stopped.

    And yes, I realize that several keto people are convinced that if I went full keto it would have solved my problems, but I'm doing just fine eating my carbs and no longer have sever hypo symptoms.

    Very good points. I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia and went on a low carb nutrition plan (old Atkins) to control it. It was amazing how quickly my body adjusted and I loved the way I felt. I have continue it over the year, not absolutely religiously, I do have my cheat spells, but always end up feeling bad later. Actually, it's not the total carbs I eat that I count so much as the percentage of carbs to protein and fat. I'm at my best when they are 30-35% carbs, 20% fat, 45-50% protein and 1500 calories. 5'7" @ 130 lbs. I'm posting on FB pics of my daily foods with nutrition values. If you AR einterested, friend me, Marsha Weaver Boyer. I want to show people that 'dieting' doesn't mean you have to give up eating good foods! I had S'mores protein cheese cake and protein ice cream last nite for my nite-time snack!
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
    The ketogenic diet as a medically necessary diet for certain things like people with seizure or cancer I believe long term does not damage organs bc of conversion of something ( I forget what it was) but it is a protocol and I'd assume it were medically safe for people to be put on to help medical issues. I think you need a magnesium/ potassium supplement and to drink more water than a normal person bc of cells or something from articles I read.
  • FunkyTobias
    FunkyTobias Posts: 1,776 Member
    umayster wrote: »
    realityfades wrote: »
    I don't eat low carb, but I was wondering if low carb diets long term are unhealthy. I came across an NIH article that detailed how many carbs, proteins and fats each and every organ of your body requires. It said that the brain alone requires 120-130 grams of carbs a day to remain healthy. To me, that implies eating a low carb diet may be starving the organs when done long enough.

    Thoughts?

    This is the article for anyone interested: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22436/

    [I am not debating the efficiency of low carb vs CICO for weight loss, I am talking about it's long term effects on organs]

    My thoughts? Don't read 13 year old academic texts. The info represents 20 year old information. You are missing a full generation of research.

    Science doesn't expire.
  • umayster
    umayster Posts: 651 Member
    edited January 2016
    FunkyTobias wrote: »
    umayster wrote: »
    realityfades wrote: »
    I don't eat low carb, but I was wondering if low carb diets long term are unhealthy. I came across an NIH article that detailed how many carbs, proteins and fats each and every organ of your body requires. It said that the brain alone requires 120-130 grams of carbs a day to remain healthy. To me, that implies eating a low carb diet may be starving the organs when done long enough.

    Thoughts?

    This is the article for anyone interested: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22436/

    [I am not debating the efficiency of low carb vs CICO for weight loss, I am talking about it's long term effects on organs]

    My thoughts? Don't read 13 year old academic texts. The info represents 20 year old information. You are missing a full generation of research.

    Science doesn't expire.

    Good science does not expire. Bad science does not expire, but it sure does get discredited and ignored eventually.
  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
    neohdiver wrote: »
    Jetamu96 wrote: »
    Your body runs on glucose! You need it to create energy, literally! (cellular respiration, the mitochondrial electron transport chain..). Sure your body could survive, but you'd be lethargic and moody. Simple sugar is the quickest way to up your energy (which is why athletes eat chocolate or energy drinks before a race!). If you want that energy to be slow-releasing then eat complex carbs that are harder to break down (sweet potato for example), take longer to digest and won't spike your blood sugar.
    p.s. i'm a medical student xD don't know if you can tell...
    The spike may be a bit higher with a simple carb, but the elevation above normal levels often lasts several times as long - making it more dangerous to organs impacted by elevated blood sugar (see the December 2015 study linking prediabetes to chronic kidney disease).
    That's an interesting point, and if that's really true I think it deserves more attention. General guidelines for nutrition generally say to limit simple carbs and refined sugar, and go for a diet that has generous amounts of whole grains, fruit, vegetables, and lean protein sources. But it sounds like there are enough anecdotal accounts that eating lots of whole grains and fruit together, even with some protein and fat, may be a dangerous combo for those with prediabetes or diabetes.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    ForecasterJason wrote: »
    neohdiver wrote: »
    Jetamu96 wrote: »
    Your body runs on glucose! You need it to create energy, literally! (cellular respiration, the mitochondrial electron transport chain..). Sure your body could survive, but you'd be lethargic and moody. Simple sugar is the quickest way to up your energy (which is why athletes eat chocolate or energy drinks before a race!). If you want that energy to be slow-releasing then eat complex carbs that are harder to break down (sweet potato for example), take longer to digest and won't spike your blood sugar.
    p.s. i'm a medical student xD don't know if you can tell...
    The spike may be a bit higher with a simple carb, but the elevation above normal levels often lasts several times as long - making it more dangerous to organs impacted by elevated blood sugar (see the December 2015 study linking prediabetes to chronic kidney disease).
    That's an interesting point, and if that's really true I think it deserves more attention. General guidelines for nutrition generally say to limit simple carbs and refined sugar, and go for a diet that has generous amounts of whole grains, fruit, vegetables, and lean protein sources. But it sounds like there are enough anecdotal accounts that eating lots of whole grains and fruit together, even with some protein and fat, may be a dangerous combo for those with prediabetes or diabetes.

    You need to test to see how it affects you (and keep in mind that avoiding carbs can itself lead to artificial IR). I mentioned that a friend of mine found worse results when he ate carbs with sat fat together, which I'd assumed was uncommon, and was directed to evidence/studies that showed that it's apparently common.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    umayster wrote: »
    FunkyTobias wrote: »
    umayster wrote: »
    realityfades wrote: »
    I don't eat low carb, but I was wondering if low carb diets long term are unhealthy. I came across an NIH article that detailed how many carbs, proteins and fats each and every organ of your body requires. It said that the brain alone requires 120-130 grams of carbs a day to remain healthy. To me, that implies eating a low carb diet may be starving the organs when done long enough.

    Thoughts?

    This is the article for anyone interested: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22436/

    [I am not debating the efficiency of low carb vs CICO for weight loss, I am talking about it's long term effects on organs]

    My thoughts? Don't read 13 year old academic texts. The info represents 20 year old information. You are missing a full generation of research.

    Science doesn't expire.

    Good science does not expire. Bad science does not expire, but it sure does get discredited and ignored eventually.

    I wish that were true, so much of the bad science promogated in the popular media and on the Net that we have today is because of one horrible study years ago, vaccines would be one of those.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    ForecasterJason wrote: »
    neohdiver wrote: »
    Jetamu96 wrote: »
    Your body runs on glucose! You need it to create energy, literally! (cellular respiration, the mitochondrial electron transport chain..). Sure your body could survive, but you'd be lethargic and moody. Simple sugar is the quickest way to up your energy (which is why athletes eat chocolate or energy drinks before a race!). If you want that energy to be slow-releasing then eat complex carbs that are harder to break down (sweet potato for example), take longer to digest and won't spike your blood sugar.
    p.s. i'm a medical student xD don't know if you can tell...
    The spike may be a bit higher with a simple carb, but the elevation above normal levels often lasts several times as long - making it more dangerous to organs impacted by elevated blood sugar (see the December 2015 study linking prediabetes to chronic kidney disease).
    That's an interesting point, and if that's really true I think it deserves more attention. General guidelines for nutrition generally say to limit simple carbs and refined sugar, and go for a diet that has generous amounts of whole grains, fruit, vegetables, and lean protein sources. But it sounds like there are enough anecdotal accounts that eating lots of whole grains and fruit together, even with some protein and fat, may be a dangerous combo for those with prediabetes or diabetes.

    You need to test to see how it affects you (and keep in mind that avoiding carbs can itself lead to artificial IR). I mentioned that a friend of mine found worse results when he ate carbs with sat fat together, which I'd assumed was uncommon, and was directed to evidence/studies that showed that it's apparently common.

    I think meat and potatoes counts as carbs and sat fat so I would predict that it's very common.
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