What are the advantages of a low-carbohydrate diet?
Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution put the focus on low-carbohydrate diets in the 1990s. It recommended two weeks of extreme carbohydrate restriction, following a diet composed of 68 percent of total calories from fat, 27 percent from protein, and 5 percent from carbohydrates. Other popular low-carb diets soon followed — Protein Power, The Zone Diet, the South Beach Diet. Low-carb diets lead to a drastic reduction in carbohydrates and therefore an overall decrease in caloric intake, which, in turn results in weight loss. Five clinical trials found that restricting carbohydrates improved levels of HDL (good) cholesterol and decreased harmful triglycerides, but they also increased total cholesterol and LDL (bad cholesterol) levels after six and 12 months. For now, the American Medical Association says there’s not enough evidence to recommend low-carb diets for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and that more research is needed. What are glycemic index diets? The South Beach Diet, Zon
