What Health Risks are associated with the Fad Diet? What is the evidence-based effect(s) to metabolism?

A high-protein diet may seem to be very beneficial and rewarding based on the information that is provided by the advertising and producing companies. However, they do not mention the short term and/or long terms effects. They also refrain from revealing vast detail regarding the health risks that pertain to following their selected diet. An example of a risky diet is the high protein diet.

In a high protein diet, the intake of proteins is increased. The percentage of protein intake is nearly 50% of all foods eaten. It also involves a significant decrease in the amount of carbohydrates consumed. The excessive intake of proteins is supposed to compensate for the lack of carbohydrates. This can raise several health concerns for the body in many ways.

First of all, carbohydrates are equally as important as proteins for the human body. They provide short-term energy storage and are essential elements for human processes. Glucose that is contained within carbohydrates needs to be delivered and circulated around the body and into the cells that drive cellular activity, ultimately keeping humans alive. When the intake of carbohydrates decreases, the body will use up the remaining glycogen (energy stored in the body from carbohydrates). Once that energy is fully used, the body will need various other sources to get energy from. Eventually, it will get signals to obtain energy from stored body fats. The fat compounds will be broken down via chemical reactions and the body will be introduced to a metabolic state known as ketosis.

Ketosis is when the body burns its own fats for fuel instead of carbohydrates. The energy that is produced by ketosis is through Ketones (carbon fragments acting as fuel created by breakdown of fats). Glucose is the primary energy source for the brain, heart and other organs, but with the lack of carbohydrates and excessive protein, Ketones help get the energy the body needs. Unfortunately, these chemicals cause headaches, irritability, fatigue, nausea and even bad breath. Also, if enough carbohydrates are not eaten, the body will break down muscle tissue to obtain the energy it needs. Once muscle is lost, vast body fluid will be lost. When the fluid is lost, this is when weight loss occurs and a great degree of water will also not be present. Also, the metabolic state of Ketosis makes a person feel less hungry and they refrain from eating due to the reasons mentioned above.

A major health risk that is associated with the high protein diet is that it causes severe damage to the kidneys. The addition of excess protein puts strains on the kidneys and liver and makes them excrete what is not in the body. The kidneys become victim to this diet as their function is being manipulated due to the imbalance of macromolecules and excess protein. Proteins include red meat, whole dairy products and high fat content foods. These foods ultimately cause high cholesterol.  Diets with immense amounts of animal protein contain saturated fats, and increase the LDL cholesterol, which can be lethal towards the body. The risk of heart disease, strokes and diabetes are also present. High protein diets also have shown people to excrete more Calcium than the normal amount through urine. Over a long period of time, this can cause kidney stones. Another negative affect of the high protein diet is that it lacks the consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, and minerals, vitamins and fiber that are associated with carbohydrates. This increases the risk of cancer and puts a grave strain on the kidneys. Eventually, kidneys can stop functioning, ultimately, killing a person.

Foods to Eat and Avoid	Percent of Calories Derived from Carbohydrates	Percent of Calories Derived From Lipids	Percent of Calories Derived from Proteins	Considerations
EAT: Grilled, boiled meats (fish, poultry, red meats), veggie salads (use unsaturated oils such as extra virgin olive oil, peanut oil), nuts, eggs and proteins. Note that you must incorporate the fact that some of these foods contain lipids. AVOID: Sugary treats, saturated fats (chips, butter, animal fats), avoid breads, grains, cereals.	20%-30%	25%-35%	35%-50%	Keep a journal to keep track of all the foods you eat and whether or not should eat them at all! It is too easy to lose track of your diet so make sure you record everything if you wish to use this diet plan.  Refer to exercise recommendations. The diet is suggested to not last longer than what is recommended by your physician. Also, contact your physician to see if your liver and kidneys are in proper condition before partaking in this diet. IN addition, consider eating complex carbohydrates including starch and fibre for their ‘fullness’ feeling. As well as eating unsaturated fats as opposed to trans and saturated ones.

Benefit 1: Ingredient Costs and Availability

 High protein diets do not require any special type of foods or ingredients that could be found in other diets. It is extremely simple to understand, follow and prepare. Foods like hard boiled eggs, grilled meats, salads and nuts are all things that most people have in their homes anyway. There is no requirement to go out to a diet store to buy any unusual and out of the world ingredients! In addition, the ingredients are affordable and do not require too much of your money!

Typical Meal

Benefit 2: Metabolism Benefits, Feel Fuller For Longer

A diet consisting of less carbohydrates and more proteins and lipids means your body will take a longer time to digest these foods. As a result, you will feel full and satisfied for longer after each meal while consuming less calories than a regular diet!

Benefit 3: Opportunity to Retain Muscle Mass While Losing Weight

Most other diets that cause the body to enter ketosis result in the user experiencing a loss of muscle mass accompanied with fat loss. Muscle mass is very important for its calorie burning potential as well as for the fitness of the dieter.  A loss of muscle mass can cause frailty, weakness and or injury. The benefit of a high protein diet is that it can offset a decrease in muscle mass especially with a regular exercise routine of resistance training.

Benefit 4: Reap More Benefits from Workouts

Accompanied with exercise, this protein based diet will be essential for muscle tissue repair and growth. Build lean muscle faster from exercising while eliminating body fat!

Risk 1: Stress on Kidneys

Eating too much protein in your diet can pose serious health risks to your body. The main function of your kidneys is to filter the blood of waste material. Most of this waste material is in the form of urea, which is a waste product of protein synthesis. The more protein you eat, the more stress will be put on your kidneys to eliminate the waste from your blood. As a result, there is a risk of kidney failure which can be a life threatening condition.  High protein diets have also shown to cause people to excrete large amounts of calcium into the urine. Over a prolonged period of time, a person is at risk to develop kidney stones or osteoporosis as a result.

Risk 2: Metabolic Disturbance

During normal metabolism (ingestion of carbohydrates) the body produces hormones for the processing of glucose (insulin, glucagon). When carbohydrates are drastically reduced from a diet, these hormones are no longer needed to be produced by the body. As a result, diabetes-like symptoms can occur which can pose mild to serious health risks.

Risk 3: Don’t Expect the Results to Last Long

Most dieters who participate in a high protein low carb diet experience that all the weight they had lost will immediately be gained again. This is because your body has lost weight from a lack of important nutrients and macromolecules. Once you start eating these again, your body will reform these fat stores.

Risk 4: Fat Intake

Although nuts and soy products contain healthy fats, meats (particularly red meats) are high in Trans and saturated fats. Many dieters of a high protein diet have their low density cholesterol levels raised to unhealthy limits because of selection of food that they must choose from to follow this diet. 

Exercise Recommendations

With a high-protein diet, it is suggested that you participate in regular exercise at least a few times a week. It is important to retain muscle mass for its health benefits rather than experience the negative health effects. Resistance training is an effect exercise technique that utilizes the function of proteins to rebuild and repair muscle tissue quickly. Resistance training, in combination with large amount of protein in one’s diet can result in drastic increase in muscle mass. Muscles are responsible for increasing the amount of calories a person’s body burns. All in all, a high protein diet complements exercise when trying to lose weight. 

Physiological Mechanisms of Fat Loss

Fat loss caused by this diet occurs because of a lack of carbohydrates in the diet. The body uses its glycogen stores first when seeking energy. However, when the stores are depleted, the metabolic process of ketosis occurs. Carbon fragments are broken off from fat stores and moved into the blood for their energy content. As a result, the body is slowly burning off its fat stores for energy and thus weight loss occurs. In addition, the body will not feel hungry while in ketosis. However, this diet does not offer effective long term weight loss. Instead, it offers exceptional short term weight loss results by immediately burning fat stores. Long term weight loss does not occur because of the fact that the body has only lost weight because of a depletion of important macromolecules (carbohydrates and lipids). Once, these macromolecules are introduced to one’s diet, these fat stores will be automatically replenished. 

What is Health Canada’s position on the use of this diet for the purpose of weight loss?

Health Canada agrees that proteins are an essential component of diets and are needed in order to obtain energy, and provide signals in the body through neurotransmitters. Proteins and amino acids are critical especially in baby foods as well as food devoted for the elderly. After looking at diets like the high protein diet, Health Canada has not come to a decision as to how effective or ineffective this diet truly is. So far, some researches have shown the negative effects of the diet, but it needs to be further studied in order to obtain a better and more authentic decision. Further research includes understanding the role of dietary protein and its interactions with dietary fat and vitamins in reducing many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer. In the research process, dietary proteins, amino acids, newer protein products (produced by biotechnology), various vegetable sources and bioactive compounds need to be studied. This is the position of Health Canada on high protein diets so far. In the near future, they will surpass the research stage and be able to attain authentic results as to whether or not this diet is beneficial or harmful. Ultimately, their voice on this diet will be heard and have a greater impact on the people and then a conclusion can be made as to whether it truly results in weight loss or not. 

Below is a link expressing the minimum requirements of all macromolecules that should be consumed daily for specific age groups. The macromolecules are divided up by food categories. This is according to Health Canada’s Food Guide:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/basics-base/quantit-eng.php

The recommended intake of calories is around 1600-1800 daily. Around 45-65 percent should come from Carbohydrates and 10-15 % and 20-35% from proteins and fats, respectively. This is what the normal body calorie intake should resemble and is supported by Health Canada.

Health Canada also supports adults exercising around 2 and half hours a week and exercising one hour a day:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/maintain-adopt/weights-poids-eng.php

High protein diets suggest that the total calorie intake should be made from 35- 50% proteins and very little carbohydrates like 20-30%. Fats are around 25-35%. This diet entails to a much lower carbohydrates calorie intake and emphasizes a sheer growth in the amount of protein intake. Weight loss comes from the loss of fluid in the body due to the body burning fats instead of carbohydrates. This is why muscle tissue is burned and ultimately, fluid is lost. A vast degree of exercise does not need to be present. Weight loss will occur regardless. 

Infer why, changing your diet, it is important to know how the cells in your body will react to the introduction of new substances or the removal of other substances. Make clear connections to previously learned or new metabolic processes and pathways.

The body undergoes its natural processes by replicating cells, ultimately keeping humans alive. Cells have very important organelles such as the ribosomes, mitochondria and golgi bodies to name a few. They all have specialized functions and are equally essential in the success of cells. It is imperative to know how the cells react to certain substances that enter the body and how they may be affected both negatively or positively. For example, if normal amounts of carbohydrates are digested (45%-65% of calorie intake), then body processes will be normal. Sufficient amounts of glucose molecules will be present in the body for energy and the main organs in the body including the brain and heart will be ready to function. The breakdown of carbohydrates is carried out by using a process called hydrolysis. This is when a water molecule is added to a glycosidic bond to break it and separate the individual glucose molecules. When the body needs short term energy, it automatically goes for stored glycogen. Burning of carbohydrates is the main fuel for the body. When glucose is introduced into the body,  it reaches to the cells, which provides energy and helps the body carry out its functions and some of it remains in the blood. For macromolecules, this the basic metabolic process in which food is digested, energy is stored and body functions are appropriately working.

Cells are the basic unit of life. They are needed in order to survive and drives all activity that occurs in the world. Cells need to have the correct amount of energy in order to function and certainly the right conditions to operate. For example, the high protein diet skews the intake of the amount of calories that should be taken. To start off, very little carbohydrates are consumed. This has many negative effects. One of them is that by not having short term energy from carbohydrates, energy needs to be used from muscle tissues. With muscle tissues being broken down, bodily fluid is lost, ultimately losing weight, but also breaking down muscle that may be useful for insulation. Cells will be affected there and cells will be dehydrated. Another negative factor of not consuming carbohydrates is that the major organs in the body do not get the preferred fuel for cellular activity. With a lack of carbohydrates, the cells will not receive the glucose they usually get, causing them to slow down. Lack of glucose to the brain can cause nausea, irritation and dizziness. This is why when changing a diet, people should know what will happen to the cells.

Also with an excessive amount of protein coming into the body, it should be known where the food stays, and what parts of the body are affected most. For example, in the high protein diet, vast amounts of protein puts strains on the kidneys. Too many fats also cause high cholesterol and lead to heart problems. People should know what diets are good for them and which they should refrain from.

To conclude, cells are needed everywhere in the body and need to be functioning accurately. With the addition of a new substance such as excess protein, or the loss of a substance such as water, the cells can become weak or be strained and stop functioning. If cells stop functioning, they will not be able to build tissues, which will not be able to construct properly functioning organs, ultimately harming the body in many ways. In order for the body to be healthy, the cells need to be treated right first. This is why people need to be cautious of what they add or subtract from the body and read on the uses of what they are adding or taking away. Two prime examples were mentioned above and described the negative affect of the addition and/or subtraction a new substance on the cells.

Conclusion

All in all, based off the information gathered about this diet, it is clear that it is only beneficial for short term weight loss and is ineffectual for long term well-being and health. Weight loss achieved by a depletion of important nutrients and macromolecules is not the best way for long term health. Instead, this diet poses a series of health risks including kidney failure, diabetes like symptoms, and an increase in LDL cholesterol which can lead to heart disease. If a diet poses so many health risks and still doesn’t offer long term weight loss (which is what most people want) then it is evident that it is not worth partaking in at all. On the other hand, this diet could be potentially useful for athletes who need to reduce their weight in a short period of time while still exercising and building muscle mass. Although, it is safe to assume that most people who wish to lose weight are looking forward to long term health benefits. We believe that weight loss should be a life style change that will occur over a long period of time. Eating a balanced diet of vitamins and nutrients with regular exercise is essential for achieving a healthy weight and overall well-being. Ultimately, the risks outweigh the benefits in this diet and we would like to inform readers to be cautious about participating in this diet. Make sure to contact your physician to ensure this diet is safe for you, and have regular checkups during the program if you decide to follow through!

References

BBC News. (2001, October 9). High Protein Diet Warning. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1586574.stm

Cespedes, Andrea. (2010, September 10) Advantage of High Protein Diet. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/234036-advantages-of-protein-diet/

Eitel, Joseph. (2011, August 18) Does Eating Too Much Protein Affect Your Kidneys? Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/517469-does-eating-too-much-protein-affect-your-kidneys/

Health Canada. (2000, February 1). Protein Research. Retrieved from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/res-rech/res-prog/nutri/macro/protein_research-recherche_sur_les_proteines-eng.php

LIVESTRONG. (2010, September 28). The Effects of a High Protein Diet on Metabolism http://www.livestrong.com/article/248410-the-effects-of-a-high-protein-diet-on-metabolism/

Macmillan Tricia. (2011, June 10) How to Do a High-Protein Diet. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/452021-how-to-do-a-high-protein-diet/

M.H. Dyer. (2011, June 14) Food Containing high Protein. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/237575-foods-containing-high-protein/

Nordqvist, Christian. (2012, January 13) What is Ketosis? What causes Ketosis? Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/180858.php

Nutrition Services, York Region. (2002). The Truth about High Protein Low Carbohydrate Diets. Retrieved from http://www.york.ca/nr/rdonlyres/jvywd5cetwkitnwqel3ctybyq6obf2vehi654epxf4ftbrj3gtnougvra3xtwwcshjacifz7lnnfuvae7ls7s6hlie/the+truth+about+high+protein+low+carb+diets.pdf


Suzanne, Jennifer. (2010, August 17) 5 Risks and Benefits of a High-Protein Diet. Retrieved from http://www.3fatchicks.com/5-risks-and-benefits-of-a-high-protein-diet/

WebMD. (2008). High protein, Low Carb Diets. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/high-protein-low-carbohydrate-diets

Zeratsky, K. (2012, June 19).  Are high protein diets safe for weight loss? Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-protein-diets/AN00847