The Practice of Ingesting Food in a Regulated Fashion - Essay Example

Dieting Dieting can be defined as the practice of ingesting food in a regulated fashion to achieve a particular objective of either to reduce body weight to maintain a particular body shape. Some athletes aspire to gain weight through dieting particularly in the form of muscle and diets can also be used to maintain a stable body weight. Several kinds of diets are present, while some of them use dieting for losing weight others use dieting to gain weight. A weight-loss diet restricts the intake of specific foods, or food in general, to reduce body weight. For instance, a low carbohydrate diet restricts the intake of carbohydrate. However, it is important to note that what works to reduce body weight for one person will not necessarily work for another. This is mainly due to difference is metabolic rate and lifestyle factors. People who diet for gaining weight include professional athletes. Football players may try to increase their weight through weight-gain diets in order to gain an advantage on the field with a higher mass (Wikipedia n. pag (a)). This paper discusses mainly on the low carbohydrate diet, its advantages and disadvantages and also tries to cover the risks involved in such diet. Low carbohydrate was first used by William Banting in 1863. He is one of the first persons known to have successfully lost weight by developing a targeted diet. The low carbohydrate diet is also sometimes known as the Atkins Diet. The key scientific principle which forms the basis for these diets is the relationship between consumption of carbohydrates and their effects on blood sugar levels and hormone production. It is essential to maintain blood sugar levels in the human body. There are two primary hormones linked to regulating blood sugar levels, which are produced in the pancreas. The first one is the insulin, which lowers blood sugar levels, and the second one is the glucagon, which raises blood sugar levels. Under a low carbohydrate diet program, foods high in digestible carbohydrates such as sugars and starches are limited or replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of proteins, fats, and/or fiber (Wikipedia n. pag (b)). Carbohydrate is the main source of energy among the other component of food such as proteins, fats and fibers. Grain Products, Vegetables and Fruit, Milk Products, Meat, and Alternatives such as legumes are all carbohydrate rich food. It is important to note that foods with carbohydrate have important vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, iron, calcium, folic acid, potassium, and magnesium. Hence, eliminating carbohydrates from diet can cause a deficiency for vitamin and mineral (Hall et al. n. pag). Foods such as whole grain breads and brown rice, are an important source of fibre. These are important to reduce cholesterol in the body, improve bowel function, and promote blood sugar control (The National Academy of Sciences 2002). Low carbohydrate diets allow very low amounts of carbohydrates - typically less than 20% of total calorie intake daily. Thus, individuals have a higher intake of fat and protein. A diet high in fat particularly more than 35% of total daily calories and especially higher in saturated and trans fat, will increase the risk of heart disease and stroke (Sacks 13S-24S). Eating habits that will lower the risk for heart disease and stroke include eating a high-fibre, lower-fat diet, eating several servings of vegetables and fruit per day. A balanced diet and appropriate physical activity also helps to reduce the risks for heart disease. Today, there is a growing consciousness among people on weight gain. Obesity is a global epidemic. In order to control this problem leading research in medical societies support a low-fat, high-carbohydrate, energy-deficient diet to manage weight. However, the long-term safety of carbohydrate-restricted diets remains controversial. A low carbohydrate diet tends to encourage increased consumption of animal products that often contain high amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol. This may result in unfavorable changes in serum lipid levels and increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Several professional organizations including American Heart Association have cautioned against the use of low-carbohydrate diets (St Jeor et al 1869-1874). A low-carbohydrate diet tends to have a lower dietary glycemic index and glycemic load than a high-carbohydrate diet. In a 10-year prospective analysis of the Nurses' Health Study, Liu et al. found a relative risk of coronary heart disease of 1.98 (95% CI, 1.41 to 2.77) for the comparison between the fifth and the first quintile of dietary glycemic load (Liu et al 1455-61). There are several other problems linked with low carbohydrate diet. These diets often lack vitamins and are low in fibre. A low fibre diet can result in constipation and can increase the risk of colon cancer (The National Academy of Sciences 2002). Low carbohydrate diets tend to replace carbohydrate with fat and protein which is another problem. High intake of protein may result in large amounts of calcium in the urine, and loss of bone mass. Calcium is an important mineral for bone health (Brehm et al 1617-1623). Excessive intake of fat in the diet, particularly saturated and trans fat, can lead to atherosclerosis, heart disease or stroke. One observational study of 80,082 women found that each 5% increase of energy intake from saturated fat is linked with a 17% increased risk of developing heart disease (Hu et al 1491-1499). There still remains a lack of scientific data concerning the long-term effects of low carbohydrate diets. A reduced-calorie eating pattern that is rich in vegetables, fruit and whole grains, and lower in saturated and trans fats, can help individuals lose weight and lower their risk of heart disease and stroke (American Heart Association, n. pag). Weight gain or obesity is a cause of concern all over the world and it is mainly linked to the over consumption of high carbohydrates, high fat, high calorie foods. A low carbohydrate diet is not a complete answer for this problem. It may result in a short term gain for those individuals who wish to lose weight, but in a long run it may result in serious problems such as heart diseases, cancer, and even unhealthy bones. A healthy and safe way to lose weight or maintain a good body shape is by having a healthy balanced diet together with moderate physical activity. Dieting alone may cause serious deficiency in an individual which is an unhealthy practice. Work cited American Heart Association, American Heart Association Statement on High-Protein, Low-Carbohydrate Diet Study Presented at Scientific Sessions 16 March 2007 Brehm B.J., Seeley R.J., Daniels S.R. and D'Alessio D.A. A randomized trial comparing a very low carbohydrate diet and calorie-restricted low fat diet on body weight and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy women. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 2003;88(4):1617-1623. Hall K., Martino R., Ratner S., Clarke C., Yong M., Whitham D. and Larrio C. Dietitians of Canada. Beyond the low-carb hype - Should I try a low-carbohydrate diet to lose weight Created for the Canadian Health Network by Dietitians of Canada Diabetes, Obesity and Cardiovascular Network Executive. April 2004. Hu F.B., Stampfer M.J., Manson J.E., Rimm E., Colditz G.A., Rosner B.A. et al. Dietary fat intake and risk of coronary heart disease in women. New England Journal of Medicine 1997;337(21):1491-1499. Liu S., Willett W.C, Stampfer M.J, et al. A prospective study of dietary glycemic load, carbohydrate intake, and risk of coronary heart disease in US women. Am J Clin Nutr 2000;71:1455-1461. Sacks F.M. and Katan M. Randomized clinical trials on the effects of dietary fat and carbohydrate on plasma lipoprotein and cardiovascular disease. American Journal of Medicine (2002);113 (Suppl 9B):13S-24S. St Jeor S.T., Howard B.V., Prewitt T.E., Bovee V., Bazzarre T. and Eckel R.H. Dietary protein and weight reduction: a statement for healthcare professionals from the nutrition committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism of the American Heart Association. Circulation 2001;104:1869-1874. The National Academy of Sciences. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrates, Fiber, Fat, Protein and Amino Acids (Macronutrients). (2002). Wikipedia (a), Dieting 15 March 2007 Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 16 March 2007 Wikipedia (b), Low-carbohydrate diet 11 March 2007 Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 16 March 2007 Read More