Diets to Lose Body Fat, Is Atkins Safe?
Oct 13th, 2008 by Ricardo d Argence
There are many debates between supporters of the Atkins diet and the ones who are opposed to it. What follows is a summary of the benefits and drawbacks of the diet–information you should have before making the decision to try the diet yourself.
Let’s start by quickly examining the facts. The Atkins diet is a very popular diet that many Americans are choosing to try in order to lose weight. By releasing well over 500 products which include “low carb” , or “no carb” labels, marketers and companies have made huge profits and continue to make money by targeting people who chose this dietary change.
That just means it works, correct? Yes and no, the long-term health effects of low-carb diets have long been debated, and experts have concluded that such diets can be risky, especially for people over the age of 40.
The diet of all low carb diets, Atkins, which goes with the notion that carb sugars was the main reason for people becoming overweight. WIth all the false statements out there these days, there is slight truth to that statement, as it is usually a mixture of the highly refined sugars, along with the saturated fats, which have helped cause the wide spread fat epedimic today.
When carbohydrates are ingested, your blood sugar is elevated, triggering insulin production and causing the sugars in the carbohydrates to be stored in cells rather than burned off. The idea was that cutting carbs would force the body to use these sugars as fuel, thus burning fat for its energy instead.
Knowing the detrimental effects that sugar can have on your health, Atkins is opposed to any sugar in your diet. Fat and protein are a part of the Atkins diet, not sugars and carbohydrates. It will be difficult and near impossible for vegans and vegetarians to follow Atkins because the system specifically recommends animal proteins as its basis.
On the down side, as the body begins to lose fat, it attempts to gather the nutrients that carbohydrates used to provide by losing water stores and lean muscle, which is vital for a high metabolism. Ketones are produced when the body burns larger amounts of fats without sufficient carbs.
Headaches, dizzyness, dehydration, bad breath and nausea are all side effects of ketones. Bone loss, breakdown of the muscles and kidney disease, long term, not to mention lack of carb sugars causes the brain to lose its main source of fuel, causingdamage to the brain and an increased risk of a heart attack.
Despite the negative information, this diet does appear to be an effective way of shedding those extra pounds. Before attempting this or any other diet, it is crucial to do research.
