🍙 Myth 1: Low carb diets are not ‘balanced’

Many are concerned that low-carb diets are not “balanced”.

After all, if carbs provide energy, reducing carbs by a fair amount would cause fatigue? Right?

Well, not really!

People that follow a low carb diet either because of a need (e.g. Coeliac disease) or simply to improve their lifestyle (e.g. Diabetes type 2) have adapted to low carb diets without harm.

According to research, there are no deficiency symptoms that occur even when reducing carbohydrates; even in their complete absence

This is possible as the small amount of sugar needed for the functioning of the brain, red blood cells, and the eyes can be created using other stores of energy in the body, via a process called gluconeogenesis.

Even the National Academies of Sciences concluded in a 2005 report that the essential amount of carbohydrate is zero.

How about a ‘balanced’ diet?

Well, if a diet is balanced, it means that it is balanced to the individual needs and preferences.

So should everyone follow a low carb diet if carbs aren’t needed?

Not at all, but low carb can be sustainable dietary approach for the right individual if well structured.

🥊 Punchline

Low-carb diets can be sustainable and balanced for the right individuals, as the body can compensate for the low carb intake through specific adaptations.

🍝 Myth 2: Low carb diets are not “gut friendly”

Many are concerned that low-carb diets are not “gut-friendly”.

As carb rich foods are also rich in fibre (if unprocessed!), then reducing carbs would also reduce fibre intake.

Not that we already don’t eat enough fibre in the UK!

However, research on most common gut conditions doesn’t prove that low carb diets worsen gut health.

In people with reflux, ketogenic diets actually improve symptoms. Conversely, increasing the amount of carbs worsen symptoms in obese women suffering from reflux.

In people with idiopathic constipation (aka constipation of unknown cause), eliminating all fibre was found to resolve constipation, compared to higher-fibre diets, which did not. This is not surprising, as fat is a very potent stimulus of bowel movements

In people with IBS, a low carb diet was just as effective as the well-known “low-FODMAP” approach for reducing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Again, not surprising as low carbs often means low intake of the same fermentable fibre that can trigger IBS symptoms.

🥊 Punchline

Research suggests that low-carb diets do not worsen gut health and can even improve symptoms in conditions like reflux, idiopathic constipation, and IBS.

🍕 Myth 3: Low carb diets increase the risk of heart disease

The belief that diets high in saturated fats (and very often low carbs) increase heart disease risk has been challenged by research for some time now.

Several studies have shown that increasing saturated fat consumption by 2x or even 3x has no effect on the content of saturated fatty acids in the blood.

Indeed, reducing saturated fat intake has no beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease and total mortality, and little-to-no effect on cardiovascular events.

When it comes to cholesterol, low carb diets are known to increase LDL (or “bad” cholesterol).

However, greater “bad” cholesterol off the back of higher saturated fat intake is not a meaningful measure on its own for observable heart disease.

Lean people tend to see greater “bad” cholesterol when following a low carb diet, but this doesn’t translate into higher heart disease, according to research.

On the flip side, low carb diets offer some cardiovascular benefits, such as greater HDL (or “good” cholesterol), better blood sugar control, better insulin sensitivity

A large and long-term study showed that 1 year on a low carb diet improved 17 out of the 20 risk factors for heart disease, while 2 out of 20 remained unchanged. The overall 10-year risk score of atherosclerosis (aka plague build up in the arteries) decreased by almost 12% in those following a low carb diet.

In another study, a low carb diet without restriction on saturated fat intake reduced the 10-year cardiovascular risk by 44%.

Even if low carb diets may rise “bad” cholesterol, this is compensated by all the other benefits

🥊 Punchline

Research has busted the myth that diets low carb (and often high in saturated fat) increase the risk of heart disease, as saturated fat is not the villain in the hearth disease process.