Low-carbohydrate diets or low carb diets, are food diet programs for weight loss and dietary health that advocate restricted carbohydrate consumption, based on research that ties carbohydrate consumption with increased blood insulin levels, and increased insulin with obesity.
The Atkins represents a radical departure from prevailing theories. He claimed there are two main unrecognised factors about Western eating habits, arguing firstly that the main cause of obesity is eating refined carbohydrates particularly sugar, flour, and high-fructose corn syrups; and secondly that saturated fat is overrated as a nutritional problem, only trans fats from sources such as hydrogenated oils need to be avoided. Consequently, Dr. Atkins rejects the advice of the food pyramid, instead telling us the tremendous increase in refined carbohydrates is responsible for the rise in metabolic disorders of the 20th century, and the focus on the detrimental effects of dietary fat has actually contributed to the obesity problem by increasing the proportion of insulin inducing foods in the diet.
GI values can be interpreted intuitively as percentages on an absolute scale and are commonly interpreted as follows:
Inhaled insulin is effective therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes who fail to obtain adequate blood sugar control with diet and exercise, according to a report in the journal Diabetes Care.
Sufferers of lactose intolerance – something which affects around 5 per cent of the UK, Irish, North European and American population – lack lactase (the enzyme which breaks down the milk sugar lactose), and can experience bloating, abdominal pains and diarrhoea, as a result of excessive lactose consumption.
While the low-carb fad wanes, new research suggests the higher the carbohydrate intake, the greater the risk an elder woman will develop cataracts.
Interleukin-2 (IL-2), an immune-boosting drug used experimentally in HIV therapy, greatly increases the lifespan of certain subsets of immune system T cells in some HIV-positive people who respond to this therapy, discovered researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH. A report describing the study, led by the Clinical Center?s Joseph A. Kovacs, M.D., appears online today in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Eight- to 10-year olds with high cholesterol marginally improve their eating habits after receiving tools to make healthy eating choices and years of dietary advice, according to new study findings.
Some low carb diets restrict you to less than 20 percent of your calories in the form of carbs, others permit up to 40 percent. To complicate matters further, many low carb diets are divided into ‘phases.’ Phase 1 typically permits only a minimum number of carbs, Phases 2 and 3 are usually more generous. This compares with US government recommendations to eat about 50-55 percent carbs.
Drinking pomegranate juice during pregnancy may help reduce the risk of brain injuries in babies, US researchers have found.