Hi - I just came across this article about LC dieting - Exposing Myths and Realities. Thought it was interesting and wanted to share.

Vikki

http://prodigy.healthology.com/focu...ruthlowcarddiet

Very nice Vikki. This will come in very handy - I love links!

Jinx

Very concise, sensibly written explanation.
Thanks!

Thanks Vikki - Good article!

thanx vikki, printed it all off soo i can read at my leisure!

Glad everyone enjoyed, it's nice to find these things that reinforce this WOL.

Vikki

Thanks Vikki....Great article!

In this article, he says that ketosis is the process of breaking down muscle protein. I found that statement disturbing, since that is not my aim. Also, he refers to ketosis as a gimmick that eventually ceases to work. I am really hoping he is wrong and my assessment of what ketosis is and does, is correct.

Anyone have any light to shed on this?

That was the one statement in the article that jarred me. Benign dietary ketosis (as opposed to diabetic ketoacidosis) is the result of incompletely burning fat for energy (ketones are the actual leftovers). It is not a gimmick, just a physiological process. It is theoretically possible to eat a low-carb diet, use fat for fuel, lose weight and never be in ketosis. Most people's bodies, however, are not highly efficient at metabolizing fat, especially at the beginning of a low-carb WOE; hence, they produce ketones.

Most bodies will accustom themselves to using fats for fuel -- that's why a low-carb diet can work in the long term. A body, once accustomed to using fats for fuel, will eventually find some new weight set point, if one has been losing weight. That's true, however, for any weight/fat loss plan.

Cannabilizing muscle protein for fuel occurs only when there is not enough protein in the diet to meet intense or sustained energy demands (say, from exercise); it's easier for the body to get energy quickly from protein than fats.

Unfortunately, most people will lose *some* muscle (the amount varies) as well as fat on a low-carb diet. Adequate dietary protein minimizes that amount. Resistance training will thicken existing muscles, counteracting the loss from the diet.

Thanks for sharing-good article, I'm going to give it to a co-worker who is interested-

Acohn
There was a posting a few days ago about a recent 6 month trial with women participating, I quote.

Recently reported following a 6 month study. As reported in Medscape Medical News.

53 healthy obese female volunteers with mean body mass index of 33.6 (± 0.3) kg/m2 were randomized to six months of either an ad libitum very low carbohydrate diet or a calorie-restricted diet with 30% of the calories as fat; 42 women (79%) completed the trial.

Both groups reduced caloric intake by comparable amounts at three and six months. Compared with the low-fat diet group, the low-carbohydrate diet group lost more weight (8.5 ± 1.0 vs. 3.9 ± 1.0 kg; P < .001) and more body fat (4.8 ± 0.67 vs. 2.0 ± 0.75 kg; P < .01).

Mean levels of blood pressure, lipids, fasting glucose, and insulin were within normal ranges in both groups at baseline and improved during the study, but there were no differences between the two groups at three or six months. Beta-hydroxybutyrate increased significantly in the low-carbohydrate group at three months (P = .001)indicating ketosis, but normalised at 6 months.

Would this support your point that ketosis kicks in and then fades away as the body finds other ways to obtain its nourishment ??

While he has a great article there, he's sadly mistaken on this, even anti low-carb folks don't say that.


More reading here: http://www.lowcarbretreat.com/ketosis.html

For more detailed explanation on all things ketosis, check here:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...3689#post383689

Wa'il

Thank you I am printing it our to read it all later very interesting.

That is a strange article... hmmm have to think about it some I guess...

Ketosis is merely a byproduct of the body's breaking down fats fot fuel. No matter how you reduce your body fat, except liposuction, the long chain fatty acids are broken into ketones for burning. If you stay on a low carb diet, your body may get more efficient at this process and you may not show the higher concentrations of ketones in the urine, but the metabolic advantage of low carb does not disappear. Atkins, in his practice, did not use urine to measure ketones, but the breath.
If carbs are available in sufficient quantities, the body will not break into it's fat reserve, which is why high carb diets require such drastic calorie reductions to work. Also, without the carbs, the insulin cycle doesn't get strated, making it hard to gain body fat. Low carb, because it contains adequate protein, does not cause the body to break down muscle tissue to make glucogen. Tests have shown that muscle loss is much less in low carb diets.
Ketoacidosis is the breaking down of muscle tissue and it can be fatal to diabetics, ketosis is the breaking down of long chain fatty acids nto ketones, which is a preferred fuel for the brain and other organs.
More info is available in Dr. Mary Enig's book "Know Your Fats." and on the www.westonaprice.org site. Nyah Levi