Low-Carb Diets Unhealthy and a Ripoff, Experts Say-When unproven science becomes a sa
 

Low-Carb Diets Unhealthy and a Ripoff, Experts Say

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Popular low-carbohydrate diets are leading Americans to poor health and are spawning a rip-off industry of "carb-friendly" products, health experts and consumer advocates said on Tuesday.

They announced a new group, called the Partnership for Essential Nutrition, to help educate Americans about the need for healthy carbohydrates such as vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains.

"When unproven science becomes a sales pitch, some people get rich and the rest of us get ripped off," Jeffrey Prince of the American Institute for Cancer Research told a news conference.

"Eating vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans, which are all predominantly carbohydrate, is linked to a reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and a range of other chronic diseases."

Prince said low-carb diets that advocate piling on the animal protein and fat are "increasing the risk of developing cancer, heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes and other chronic diseases."

The new group includes such organizations as the Alliance for Aging Research, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, the AICR and the American Obesity Association.

Its Web site at http://www.essentialnutrition.org/ is especially critical of programs such as the Atkins diet that advocate throwing the body into a condition called ketosis. During this phase the body sheds water as it tries to get rid of excess protein and fat breakdown products.

"Losing weight on these extreme low-carb diets can lead to such serious health problems as kidney stress, liver disorders and gout," the group advises.

The group published a survey of 1,017 adults, done by Opinion Research Corporation, that showed 19 percent of dieters are trying to cut carbs.

The survey found that 47 percent them believed that low-carb diets can help them lose weight without cutting calories.

"They are confused. They lack an understanding of the basic science," Barbara Moore, president of Shape Up America, told the news conference.

She said a "trickle-down effect" meant other Americans were now eating fewer fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products."

The U.S. government, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute and American Diabetes Association all recommend getting at least five servings a day of fruits and vegetables. They also recommend eating plenty of whole grains.

The National Consumers League said it found dieters were spending an average of $85 a month on so-called low-carbohydrate products, although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) does not evaluate or regulate low-carb claims.

"Consumers are paying a premium price for a carb-friendly lifestyle," said Alison Rein of the National Consumers League.

She called for the FDA, U.S. Department of Agriculture (news - web sites) and other agencies to issue immediate interim guidelines on such claims.

Studies show that a low-carbohydrate approach can cause people to lose weight more quickly than a low-fat diet for the first six months, but the low-fat approach catches up after a year.

Story

I don't know about the diet shit but I do know that this fad has been great for diabetics. :thumbsup

I wonder who paid for this person, my father went on Atkins lowered his overall cholestrol and raised the good cholestrol ,doesnt have to take blood pressure medication anymore. He now looks ten yrs younger and decided to take up weight lifting . They are so full of shit the big carb producers are feeling the hit and they are circling the wagons.

But it is short term only..

Although developed to help people with diabetes manage their food intake, the glycemic index has taken on new meaning as a weight loss strategy. In fact, several diet books tout the glycemic index as a foolproof way of identifying foods that raise blood sugar and insulin levels and therefore, can lead to weight gain.

But despite the hype, experts in nutrition and public health see very little practical use for the glycemic index and even the American Diabetes Association does not recommend this system for the prevention or treatment of diabetes. This is because of the many factors that affect the digestion of carbohydrates in the body. In fact, there is no clear evidence that avoiding foods high on the index is even beneficial.

see
http://www.essentialnutrition.org/glycemic.php

bullshit propaganda

Glad to hear your dad is ok... but I don't think this new non profit organisation is wrong.

hehe :)

This guy is a complete moron.

On Atkins you can eat a lot of vegetables. And it's not only bacon and cheese.

Amazing how people can justify things when they don't know shit about what they are trying to prove.

My dad's sugar levels are now back to normal, his blood pressure is also back to normal. He lost 60 pounds in 10 months on this lifestyle. His doctor recommended atkins to him on his first visit. Many doctors are now recommending it because they know the facts from the bullshit.

He's eating more vegetables than ever before. A lot of fish and salads. He can eat 50 to 60 grams of carbs everyday and he's not gaining back what's he's lost. He's on Phase 4: Lifetime Maintenance and he's doing great.

They announced a new group, called the Partnership for Essential Nutrition, to help educate Americans about the need for healthy carbohydrates such as vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains.

Who do you think funds this ?Come on think for Christ's sake.If it was anymore fucking transparent it would be a piece of glass lol.

:karaoke

Conspiracy theory? :) I agree, they may be backed, maybe not... anyway I am a vegetarian and could not imagine my life without veggies, fruit and such.. mmm nothing like steamed broccoli with grated cheese for a healthy snack imo and fresh cherries or strawberries from your garden. How can people miss these out? Without sugar, whipped cream, just fresh fruits.

I guess this is why the ADA has countless numbers of carb counting books on their website.

On the Atkins diet what they blame is:
"Its Web site at http://www.essentialnutrition.org/ is especially critical of programs such as the Atkins diet that advocate throwing the body into a condition called ketosis. During this phase the body sheds water as it tries to get rid of excess protein and fat breakdown products."

Congrats on your dad's health improvement btw. :thumbsup

hahaha... amazing how an organization claiming to know so much about nutrition, knows so little about Carbohydrate Equilibrium.

Sounds like someone is getting their bubble burst by the low carb lifestyle.

Gotta love it when old school food pyramid nutritionists come together :thumbsup

Everything you just mentioned is allowed by low carb diets.

When you first start the diet you need to limit fruits and veggies but as you go along you add them back into your diet.

You don't just eat steak three times a day for the rest of your life.

Anyone who spends money on Atkins books and courses are idiots. The Atkins diet works for one reason - it's high in protein, which is a well known appetite inhibitor. In other words, the Atkins diet works because you fell less hungry and therefore eat less calories.

Eat more calories than you burn - put on weight.
Eat less calories than you burn - lose weight.

It's such a simple method - eat less, exercise more. Yet every willpowerless idiot out there is looking for a miracle weight loss program, and it willing to pay stupid amounts of money for it...

I'm sorry, but that's a little far fetched.

It works for a number of reason, one of which you mentioned above.


True. But there is another way that also works when on a low carb diet.

It is just a way of eating and not a miracle weight loss program. And the book costs like $15 so how is that a stupid amount of money?

There is nothing that says you can't eat a low carb diet and also exercise. Best of both worlds.

No, it IS that simple. Consumers spend about $30 billion per year trying to lose weight or prevent weight gain (This figure includes spending on diet sodas, diet foods, artificially sweetened products, appetite suppressants, diet books, videos and cassettes, medically supervised and commercial programs, and fitness clubs) - as long as people think (mistakenly) as you do, that figure is unlikely to decrease.

You just have to it moderately and party hard:thumbsup

The ADA talks out their ass. The nutritionist my doctor sent me to when I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes (with a fasting blood glucose of 444) had me on the "standard ADA diabetic meal plan" of 64 grams of carbohydrates per meal. While far below my previous diet of approx. 350 grams of carb per day, at this level I was not able to get my blood glucose under 150 (fasting), despite several medication and dosage changes.

Within 2 weeks of starting Atkins I was able to stop taking my meds completely and during the first year of low-carbing my hba1c went from 9.7 to 5.6, which I have maintained for a year. BTW, 6.0 and below is the non-diabetic range.

However this happens to be free..

Exactly...its the people who only do it half way that are fucked....Nowhere does the diet say to stuff yourself on only fat with absolutely NO carbs but somehow that is the impression it leaves people with. If done correctly you actually end up eating tons of veggies, its just that you do actually start paying attention to where the carbs are coming from and get them from "good" sources. And the fucking idiots who are buying into all the prepackaged food bullshit are the same idiots who were ruining their health with that same garbage beforehand...Not really a surprise.

People who pay money for Atkins books are idiots? Why? You just said the diet works because of protein inhibits the appetite. Now, wouldn't it be great if you had a book with recipes to suit this diet? Holy shit. Idiot.

um...my wife and I do atkins, and you can eat vegetables, and LOTS of them

where does it say you can't????

That's awesome AW !! :thumbsup
Atkins made one of the most important nutritional discoveries in history.

I think its about knowing what fats and what carbs are good for you and which ones are bad for you. Atkins just showed the bad carbs to cut out.

http://www.scriptcoder.com/c.gif http://www.scriptcoder.com/w.gif

and if you just ate fresh fruit, vegetables and fish with a little exercise in the first place you wouldn't need to go on a silly diet.

Horrible diet. Encouraging people to eat grease.

That's the irony of the whole situation - people just require will power and life-long healthy eating & excercise change ...

which is completly free..

but if you wrote a book on it, no-one would buy it, people want to believe it's going to be easy and they're going to go from having rolls of fat to having a perfectly toned body in 3 months

Now that's what I am doing so never tried the Atkins diet yet nor others.

Edit: and my exercise is swimming and walking,, with my dogs most of the case several times a day.

This made me think and a lot of articles on their site:

"Eating vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans, which are all predominantly carbohydrate, is linked to a reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and a range of other chronic diseases."

Prince said low-carb diets that advocate piling on the animal protein and fat are "increasing the risk of developing cancer, heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes and other chronic diseases."