High Protein Diets

The most popular high protein diets are 'Atkins Diet', the 'Zone Diet', and 'Sugar Busters!'. The inventors of these diets make different claims about their effects on health, ranging from weight loss to massive reduction in disease risk and vastly increased life expectancy. One common feature of these diets is that they are likely to lead to some weight loss in the very short term (the first week or so). These diets may NOT be safe for everyone.

Why snf how does high protein diet causes weight loss:

Eating only protein (and fat) forces the body into starvation mode after just a few hours. This “starvation mode” happens because the brain typically prefers to run on glucose (blood sugar) which is supplied by digested carbohydrate. Dietary carbohydrate comes in many forms such as foods made with sugar (sodas, sweets) or flour (bakery, crackers, breads), starches, vegetables, fruits and dairy products. Where there is not enough carbohydrate to convert into blood sugar, the body is forced to use stored blood sugar from the liver and muscles.
This process results in initial protein tissue (muscle) loss and urinary loss of electrolytes. Because muscle is mostly water, one will lose weight very rapidly in the first few days.
If the carbohydrate restriction is prolonged, the brain eventually will run on fat stores for fuel (called ketosis). The amount of weight loss depends on the amount of fat one has stored.

What is wrong with high protein diets

Remember that everything we put in the mouth eventually gets in the blood stream, so if you have any medical conditions, be sure to evaluate an eating plan with your eyes wide open and be aware of short-tem and long-term risks.
There are numerous metabolic and health risks associated with ketosis.

Side effects of High Protein Diets:

• Fatigue in late afternoon
• Hypotension (too-low blood pressure)
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Thinning hair
• Dry skin
• Altered breath
• Muscle cramps

• Gall stone formation (documented in about 25 percent of patients)
• Gout (uric acids rise)
• Increasing creatinine in blood due to loss of muscle mass
• Low calcium levels
• Osteoporosis
• Increased stress on the kidneys
• Increased risk for cardiac arrhythmia
• Increased risk of heart disease and certain cancers
• Increased potential for endothelial dysfunction (contraction of blood vessels)
• Increased LDL-cholesterol
• Decreases in natural antioxidants in the bloodstream