Summary
This article details a fascinating investigation into the scientific
reasons why the Atkins diet works so well, but it sort of misses the
point, too, by concluding that the high-protein Atkins diet works as an
appetite suppressant. That may be true, but the real question to be
asking is why do people who follow a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet
feel so hungry and eat so much in the first place?
The answer to
that lies in the secretion of insulin by the pancreas in response to
dietary carbohydates. The more carbs you eat, the more insulin you
produce. A few hours after any insulin spike, your appetite skyrockets.
In this way, eating carbohydrates actually increases your
appetite, even when you are eating more calories!
A low-carb diet,
in constrast, works because it avoids the appetite simulating side
effects of high-carbohydrate diets. Eating proteins, fats and fiber --
all staples of the Atkins diet -- provides for steady, predictable
levels of blood sugar and minimal insulin response. As a result, it does
not stimulate the human appetite. Therefore -- and this is the important
part -- people automatically eat less and lose wight on the
Atkins diet.
Knowing this, you might conclude that you could lose
even more weight on the Atkins diet if you were able to suppress
your appetite even further. And you're right! In fact, I believe this is
the ultimate key to rapid weight loss: get your appetite suppressed, and
you hardly have to worry about counting calories or portions. So how to
do it?
The answer lies in appetite suppressing plant chemical
compounds found in a few rare plants. The best I've found are hoodia
gordonii and Jojoba. When used in combination, these two plants offer
natural, powerful appetite suppressant properties that can help you lose
as much as 1/2 pound per day of actual body fat, not just water weight.
Original source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3416637.stm
Details
Through a series of scientific experiments the programme shows that
although the diet allows people a healty quota of fat and protein, they
actually eat as few calories as people on low fat diets.
The meat, fish and eggs in the Atkins diet control hunger and stop
people eating their usual quantity of calories.
The theory behind Dr Atkins' diet is that by cutting down on starchy
foods like potatoes, bread and pasta and eating mainly protein and fats
like meat, eggs and cheese you can eat as much as you want and still
lose weight.
In Horizon's investigation identical twins were put on different
diets, one on the Atkins diet and one on a conventional low fat diet.
Research has shown that fat is the least filling food.
With no long term studies on the diet, any possible health risks of
the diet are, so far, unproven.
About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning journalist and holistic nutritionist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, and he has created several downloadable courses on survival and preparedness, including his widely-downloaded course on personal safety and self-defense. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In mid 2010, Adams produced TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also the founder of a well known HTML email software company whose 'Email Marketing Director' software currently runs the NaturalNews subscription database. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. He's also author of numerous health books published by Truth Publishing and is the creator of several consumer-oriented grassroots campaigns, including the Spam. Don't Buy It! campaign, and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. He also created the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the ending of corporate control over medicines, genes and seeds. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org
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Monday, February 02, 2004
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