Low-carb diets have been a source of contention for decades.
Because of their high fat content, some argue that these diets elevate cholesterol and promote heart disease.
Nonetheless, most scientific research shows that low-carb diets are healthful and helpful.
These are ten scientifically documented health benefits of low-carb and ketogenic diets.
1. Low-Carb Diets Reduce Your Appetite
Dieting’s worst negative effect is usually hunger.
That is one of the primary reasons many individuals are unhappy and finally give up.
A Low-carb diet, on the other hand, causes an immediate decrease in appetite (1).
Research demonstrates that when people eliminate carbohydrates and eat more protein and fat, they consume considerably fewer calories (1).
2. Low-Carb Diets Lead to More Weight Loss at First
Cutting carbohydrates is one of the most straightforward and efficient strategies to reduce weight.
Research shows that persons on low-carb diets lose weight quicker than those on low-fat diets, even when the latter are aggressively calorie-restricted.
Low-carb diets help rid your body of extra water, decreasing insulin levels and resulting in quick weight loss in the first week or two (2, 3).
In trials that compared low-carb and low-fat diets, participants who restricted their carbohydrates lost 2-3 times as much weight — without feeling hungry (4, 5).
In one research on obese people, a low-carb diet was more successful than a traditional weight loss diet for up to six months. The difference in weight reduction across diets was negligible (6).
Both groups dropped identical amounts of weight in a year-long trial of 609 overweight people on low-fat or low-carb diets (7).
3. A Greater Proportion of Fat Loss Comes From Your Abdominal Cavity
Not all fat in your body is created equal.
The location of fat storage dictates how it impacts your health and illness risk.
Subcutaneous fat, which lies beneath your skin, and visceral fat, which accumulates in your abdominal cavity and is common in most overweight men, are the primary forms.
Visceral fat collects around your organs. Excess visceral fat is linked to inflammation and insulin resistance and may contribute to the metabolic dysfunction prevalent in the West today (8).
Low-carb diets are successful in reducing this dangerous belly fat. A more significant proportion of the fat lost on low-carb diets comes from the abdominal region (9).
This should result in a much lower risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes over time.
4. Triglycerides Tend to Drop Drastically
Triglycerides are fat molecules found in circulation.
High fasting triglycerides — levels in the blood after an overnight fast — are widely established to be a substantial risk factor for heart disease (10).
Carbohydrate intake, particularly simple sugar fructose, significantly increases triglycerides in inactive adults (11, 12, 13).
As people reduce their carbohydrate intake, their blood triglycerides drop dramatically (14, 15).
On the other hand, low-fat diets frequently induce a rise in triglycerides (16, 17).
5. Increased Levels of ‘Good’ HDL Cholesterol
The “good” cholesterol is high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
The greater your HDL levels compared to “bad” LDL, the lower your risk of heart disease (18, 19, 20).
Eating fat is one of the most excellent methods to boost “good” HDL levels, and low-carb diets are high in fat (21, 22, 23).
As a result, it is not unexpected that HDL levels rise considerably on healthy, low-carb diets, but they rise only mildly or even fall on low-fat diets (24, 25).
6. Reduced Blood Sugar and Insulin Levels
Diabetes and insulin resistance afflicting millions worldwide can also benefit from low-carb and ketogenic diets (29).
According to studies, cutting carbohydrates significantly decreases blood sugar and insulin levels (30, 31).
Some people with diabetes who start a low-carb diet may need to lower their insulin dosage by half nearly immediately (32).
By six months, 95% of persons with type 2 diabetes had lowered or stopped their glucose-lowering medication, according to one research (33).
If you use blood sugar medication, consult your doctor before changing your carbohydrate consumption since your dosage may need to be changed to avoid hypoglycemia.
7. It May Lower Blood Pressure
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a significant risk factor for various disorders, including heart disease, stroke, and renal failure.
Low-carb diets are an excellent strategy to control blood pressure, lowering your risk of certain diseases and allowing you to live longer (34, 35).
8. Effective Against Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a disorder that increases your chances of developing diabetes and heart disease.
In reality, a metabolic syndrome is a group of symptoms that include:
- Abdominal obesity
- High blood pressure
- Fasting blood sugar levels that are elevated
- High triglycerides
- Low levels of “excellent” HDL cholesterol
A low-carb diet, on the other hand, is extremely helpful in curing all five of these symptoms (36, 37).
These illnesses are virtually eradicated by following such a diet.
9. Improved ‘Bad’ LDL Cholesterol Levels
Individuals with high “bad” LDL cholesterol are considerably more likely to suffer a heart attack (38, 39).
The size of the particles, on the other hand, is critical. Smaller particles have been related to an increased risk of heart disease, but bigger particles have been connected to a decreased risk (40, 41, 42).
Low-carb diets, it turns out, increase the size of “bad” LDL particles while decreasing the total amount of LDL particles in your system (43).
As a result, reducing your carbohydrate intake can benefit your heart health.
10. Therapeutic for Several Brain Disorders
Your brain requires glucose because certain sections can only burn this sugar. If you don’t eat any carbohydrates, your liver will create glucose from protein.
Yet, a significant portion of your brain can burn ketones produced during famine or low carbohydrate consumption.
This is the mechanism underlying the ketogenic diet, which has been used for decades to treat children with epilepsy who do not respond to pharmacological treatment (44).
In many situations, this diet helps treat epilepsy in youngsters. In one trial, over half of the children on a ketogenic diet reduced their seizures by more than 50%, and 16% were seizure-free (45).
Other brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, are currently being examined using very low-carb and ketogenic diets (46).
The Bottom Line
Only some things in nutrition science are as well documented as the enormous health advantages of low-carb and ketogenic diets.
These diets enhance cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, suppress appetite, promote weight reduction, and lower triglycerides.
One of these diets could be worth exploring to improve your health.
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