The New Adkins Diet - Pros and Cons - Term Paper Example

The New Atkins Diet Contents Introduction 2 2. The New Atkins Diet 2 2 Phases 4 2.2 Calories 4 2.3 Associated Research 5 3. Recommendation 7 4. Discussion 8 List of Figures 11 Bibliography 12 The New Atkins Diet 1. Introduction Obesity is a problem that is increasing at alarming rates throughout the world. The disease can lead to disabilities, reproductive problems, accelerated metabolic and vascular diseases, and depression (Satter and Lean 2007). Finding methods for using the workings of the body in order to increase weight loss has been a goal of individuals and medical care professionals in order to support restoration to a healthier lifestyle. The New Atkins Diet is a reconsideration of the original Atkins Diet in which high levels of fats and proteins are eaten and carbohydrates are restricted. The diet allows for portion control and an explanation of how the restriction of carbohydrates can be beneficial to people. There is evidence that restricting carbohydrates can be beneficial to those looking to lose weight, with further evidence that restricted carbohydrates can help with diseases such as those involving seizures, Alzheimer’s or type 2 diabetes. Restricting carbohydrates, however, can be seen as restricting the body from some of the food items needed to have a balanced diet. The consideration of the New Atkins Diet is controversial and is likely not a good recommendation for a patient in search of healthy weight control. 2. The New Atkins Diet One of the first things that the writers of the New Atkins Diet state is that the diet was once a fad, but has been proven medically safe for those needing to lose weight (Westman, Phinney and Volek 2010, p. x). Westman, Phinney, and Volek (2010, p. xi) also go on to describe the benefits of low carbohydrate diets to the management of Alzheimer’s, autism, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and brain tumours. The authors do go on to say that there are a great many people, both medical professionals and layman, who do not believe that the Atkin’s form of eating is healthy or practical, but in pursuing their goals to fight obesity, they believe that the once ‘fad’ diet has the potential to revolutionize the lifestyles of those who adhere to their concepts. Looking at the framework within which the eating style is based can begin to reveal whether or not the diet is valuable as a tool for weight loss. Figure 1 is a diagram pyramid that shows how foods should be considered in a low carb diet. Figure 1 Low Carb Diet Pyramid (Improve Health Info 2012) As the food lifestyle is explained, it is clear that the hope for this version is to make the consumer understand that the diet is not about eating nothing but “beef, bacon, and butter” (Westman, Phinney, and Volek 2010, p. xv). In Dr. Atkins book of 2002 which further explored his theories on weight loss, the diet is explained as a low carbohydrate diet intended to encourage the process of ketosis in which lipid stored in fat cells are then transferred into the blood and are utilized for a resource of energy. Fibre is explained to have little to no impact on glucose and insulin levels because it has relatively no food energy. Controlling glucose and insulin levels is at the heart of the eating plan (Atkins 2002). The concept is that rather than using glucose energy, the user of this diet is burning fat for energy which is more slowly digested and more naturally developed as a resource for the body. 2.1 Phases The Atkins diet consists of phases in which different foods are allowed. The first fourteen days of the plan is considered the induction phase. During this phase the dieter is limited to three cups of vegetables per day as a form of carb. Dairy, fruit, and starches are not allowed. The next stage is on-going weight loss where carbs are increased to 5grams per day, but a plateau is likely to require the dieter to once again cut back the carbs. The pre-maintenance phase occurs as the dieter begins to reach their goals, testing foods to see which ones react well and which ones cause problems. The final stage is maintenance in which healthy carbs can be eaten, but bad carbs are still off-limits (Adkins 2002). 2.2 Calories One of the first issues that is addressed concerning weight loss is that calories are not the most important concept where losing weight is concerned. While calories are important in that calories consumed against calories burned is the balance for which weight is lost is not discounted, but it is put into perspective with methods of burning fat. The basic premise begins with the idea that those who gain weight do so because they are insulin resistant. In this paradigm the cells which are responsible for converting carbohydrates into glucose, which is the energy that supports life, are not working properly, thus they are converting into stores of fat. The answer, according to the structure of the Atkins diet, is a protein rich diet in which carbohydrates are closely controlled. Although the diet has no interest in limiting calories, the newer version that was released in 2002 has revised some of the ways that the diet was interpreted. The fact that there is no caloric limit and that the diet is defined by what a person eats as opposed to how much they eat does not provide for unlimited eating. Gorging is discouraged in the new book and Dr. Atkins makes a point of defining suggested amounts of food as well as types in order to clarify some of the misconceptions about his work (Atkins 2002). One of the problems that might be experienced in using this type of a diet is that satiety might not be experienced and may lead to eating more calorie as the calories are not considered a factor. According to Truswell and Wall (2003) carbohydrates create the feeling of being full and satisfied, where foods high in fat have weaker levels of satiety for their energy values. As an example, fruit will have a higher level of satiety than will eating something like a biscuit or pastry. Sugar, which includes healthier varieties such as are found in fruit, will create satiety quicker than will something that is higher in fat. 2.3 Associated Research Atkins (2002, p. 6) makes two promises in the beginning of his book. He states that “Atkins is the most successful weight loss – and weight maintenance – program of the last quarter of the twentieth century. The fact is, by methods your about to learn, it works an astonishing proportion of the time for the vast majority of men and women”. The second claim made is that “The Atkins Nutritional Approach can positively impact the lives of people facing the risk factors associated with diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. It can also alleviate gastrointestinal problems and certain allergies, chronic pain and immune system weaknesses” (Atkins 2002, p. 6). These claims are powerful, addressing the fears and symptoms of weight issues within the public. Whether or not these promises are true or not is the question that frames the inquiry into this form of weight control. In a study intended to discover how the Atkins diet affects weight loss and glucose levels in those people with type 2 diabetes, Boden, Sargrad, Homko, Mozzoli, and Stein (2005) determined the effects of a low carbohydrate diet on body weight and the intake and expenditure of energy, combined with glycemic control, lipid levels, and insulin sensitivity. The participants were ten obese patients with type 2 diabetes with the design of the study including a comparison of 2 different diet types in the setting of a university hospital through inpatient experience. The intervention was seven days of normal eating followed by fourteen days of a low carbohydrate diet. The measurements that were taken were as follows: “Body weight, water, and composition; energy intake and expenditure; diet satisfaction; hemoglobin A1c; insulin sensitivity; 24-hour urinary ketone excretion; and plasma profiles of glucose, insulin, leptin, and ghrelin” (Boden et al 2005, p. 403). The conclusion of the study was that there was a great deal of improvement in 24 hour glucose profiles, in insulin sensitivity and in the haemoglobin A1c. Long term effects, however, were not calculated as it was a limited study. Astrup, Larsen and Harper (2004) performed an outpatient study which compared a low carbohydrate diet with the low fat diet discovering that the low carbohydrate participant group showed better results within six months, but that there were no differences after a year had passed. The use of a low carb diet can help to put glucose under control for patients with low levels of diabetes. As shown in Figure 2, the levels of stability in the low carb diet as represented by the blue dots is far more stable than those on their usual diet as shown through the yellow dots and blue triangles. Figure 2 Blood glucose over a 24 hour period (Guyenet 2009) 3. Recommendation Before discussing the Atkins New Diet as a method for all patients, it might be useful to examine a similar paradigm which measures differences between people in relationship to how their body type indicates he type of weight loss they should explore. Dr. Mark Liponis (2012) has written a book that examines two body types for the types of diets that they should adapt. The first is the hunter diet which is very similar to the low carb diet, based on the type of fat that is collected around the middle of the body. The second is the farmer type based on weight that is focused on the rear area of the body. Those with belly fat would eat a high protein diet supplemented with nuts and berries, while the farmer type focuses on carbohydrates from low fats and grains. The hunter type is very near the Atkins diet, while the farmer is fairly opposite. The 6-Day Diet promoted by Michael Thurmond suggests that there are five body types, each having specific needs from which to define their eating habits. The type A body type (called endomorphic) has the closest relationship to the Adkins diet with high protein and low carbs, although it contains berries in the initial beginning of the six days that are needed to kick off the beginning of weight loss. Although it must be said that Thurmond rejects the idea of a high fat, low carb diet. The concept of different body types begins the consideration about the Adkins diet and whether or not it should be recommended to patients. In practice it does not seem practical or wholly safe to recommend the New Atkins Diet. The diet still has too much in the way of controversy and does not have enough practical evidence to back up the claims that a high fat, high protein diet with restrict carbohydrates is the way to create whole good health. The modified Atkins diet (sometimes referred to as the MAD diet) used in some of the research that has been explored might be a more suitable recommendation, tailored to meet the needs of the client that is being advised (Kossoff and Dorward 2008, pp. 37). 4. Discussion The Atkins Diet uses some valuable insights into the working of the body. It is shameful that the concept was first introduced with the idea that the body could eat as much protein and high fat foods as one wanted as long as carbohydrates were limited. This ‘fad’ form of discussion allowed the ideas that were the foundation of the diet to be overlooked. Rather than looking at the science of how it worked and making practical recommendations, the idea of eating as much as one wanted of steak and butter became the rhetoric with which to sell the books. The restriction of carbohydrates seems to be linked to decreasing the stimulation to the brain to malfunction on several levels of consideration. Stimulating the ketosis reaction may be a valuable way in which to create a better state of health. The New Atkins Diet seems to address many of the concepts that were developed negatively as fad, while promoting the idea of restricting carbohydrates while no longer promoting eating high quantities of protein and fat as a way to have an unrestricted overall level of consumption. Although calorie count is still not emphasized, portion control is discussed. However, the science of restricting carbohydrates also has a side effect that should be taken into consideration. The generation of plasma ketones is thought to create appetite suppression, but it also causes the loss of lean muscle tissue, a problem that would cause an adverse effect that would be contrary to the need to lose fat. As well, dehydration is also one of the results from creating this scenario in the body making it seem like a significant amount of weight is lost in the first two weeks (Katch and McKartle 2010, p. 809). This would account for the high level of seeming success during this initial period. Losses of water and muscle tissue are not desirable outcomes Bender (2008) does not believe that it is healthy to consider the low carbohydrate diet. Bender (2008, p. 187) states that “a low-carbohydrate would not be recommended for weight loss, as the aim for general health promotion is to reduce the proportion of energy from fat and increase that from starches”. In addition, Katch and McArdle (2010, p. 13) discuss the importance of carbohydrates and that a healthy, the primarily sedentary, individual will eat around 300 grams of carbohydrate per day, which is significantly more than the Atkins diet allows. Carbohydrates are important in creating energy and in shifting to the ketosis format; some of the functions of the body might be harmed or set off course. Taking into consideration the research and the evidence about restricting carbohydrates, some restriction is possible, but full restriction does not seem a wise recommendation. The New Adkins Diet, as it is presented, would not be a wise choice for promoting to patients in therapeutic practice. List of Figures Figure 1 Low Carb Diet Pyramid (Improve Health Info 2012) Figure 2 Blood glucose over a 24 hour period (Guyenet 2009) Bibliography Astrup, A., T. M. Larsen and A. Harper. (4 September 2004). Atkins and other low- carbohydrate diets: hoax or an effective tool for weight loss? The Lancet. Vol 364, No. 9437, pp, 897-899. Atkins, R. C. (2002). Dr. Atkins new diet revolution. New York: M. Evans. Bender, D. (2008) introduction to nutrition and Metabolism. 4th ed. London: CRC Press Boden, G., K. Sargrad, C. Homko, M. Mozzoli, and T. P. Stein. (15 March 2005). Effect of a low-carbohydrate diet on appetite, blood glucose levels, and insulin resistance in obese patients with type 2 diabetes. Annuls of Internal Medicine. Vol 142, No. 6, pp. 403-411. Guyenet, Stephen. (16 September 2009). Diabetics on a low carbohydrate diet. Whole Health Source. [Online] Retrieved from http://wholehealthsource.blog spot.com/2009/09/diabetics-on-low-carbohydrate-diet.html (Accessed on 29 April 2012). Improve Health Info. (21 January 2012). Low carb diet tips: Living low carb. Improve Health Info. [Online] Retrieved from http://www.improvehealthinfo.com/low- carb-diet-tips (Accessed on 4 May 2012). Katch, F. And McArdle, W.D. (2010) exercise physiology: nutrition, energy and human performance. 7th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Kossoff, E. H. and J. L. Dorward. (4 November 2008). The modified Atkins diet. Epilepsia. Vol. 47, pp. 37-41. Liponis, M. (2012). The hunter/farmer diet solution. Mark Liponis, MD.[Online] Retrieved from http://hunterfarmerdiet.com/ (Accessed 1 May 2012) McArdle, W. D., Katch, F. I., & Katch, V. L. (2010). Exercise physiology: Nutrition, energy, and human performance. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Sattar, N., & Lean, M. (2007). ABC of obesity. Malden, Mass: Blackwell Pub. Thurmond, M. (2005). The 6 day makeover diet. New York: Wellness Central. Truswell, A. S. (2003). ABC of nutrition. London: BMJ Books. Westman, E. C., S. D. Phinney, and J. S. Volek. 2010. The new Atkins diet for a new you. New York: Fireside. Read More