Low-carb diets have become increasingly popular in recent years, but there are potential long-term health risks associated with them. Complications such as cardiac arrhythmias, impaired cardiac contractile function, sudden death, osteoporosis, kidney damage, increased risk of cancer, deterioration of physical activity, and lipid abnormalities may be related to long-term restriction of dietary carbohydrates. Vitamin or mineral deficiencies and gastrointestinal disorders can also occur when carbohydrates are restricted for a long period of time. On the other hand, low-carb diets can be beneficial for heart health.
They can increase good cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure and triglyceride levels. Low carbs also keep insulin low, which should make you lose weight effortlessly while enjoying chicken wings, salmon, eggs and butter. Fiber also contains important B vitamins and can help lower cholesterol. In a study in Life Sciences, men who ate a high-carb diet compared to a low-carb diet for 10 days had higher levels of testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin, and lower levels of cortisol.
Short-term studies suggest faster weight loss with low-carb diets compared to low-fat diets, but long-term data show similar results. In addition, many are low in healthy and natural sources of carbohydrates, such as fruits, beans, and minimally processed whole grains. Studies show that some people successfully lose weight on a low-carb diet, just as they do on a low-fat or Mediterranean-style diet. However, when subjects ate a low-carb diet, their testosterone (and other anabolic hormones) went down, while their cortisol went up.
In this case, the low-carb diet increased muscle breakdown because very low carbohydrates lowered insulin levels. Recent guidelines from the American Diabetes Association have included low-carb diet as an option for treating this common condition. In a study in Life Sciences, men who ate a high-carb diet compared to a low-carb diet for 10 days had higher levels of testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin, and lower levels of cortisol. The group that consumed a moderate amount of carbohydrates showed a small (though not statistically significant) tendency to lose more body fat compared to those who followed a low-carb diet (5.5 kg vs 3.4 kg in 6 weeks). Even in athlete trials, where the vast majority of participants perform better on high-carb diets than low-carb diets, you'll almost always find some who perform better on a low-carb diet. It's important to remember that while the low-carb movement has increased and decreased in popularity since the Atkins revival in the late 90s and early 2000s, most people now assume that carbohydrates are fattening by nature.
It's perfectly healthy to follow a low-carb diet as long as it includes a variety of nutritious, whole grain, and unprocessed foods. In conclusion, it's unclear what kind of potential long-term health risks a low-carb diet can pose. Low carbs keep insulin low which should make you lose weight effortlessly while enjoying chicken wings, salmon eggs and butter. However it's important to remember that long term restriction of carbohydrates can lead to vitamin or mineral deficiencies and gastrointestinal disorders.
