The Effects Fad Diets Have On Heart Health

The Effects Fad Diets Have On Heart Health by Charles Harmon.

Obesity is a serious health problem that increases an individual’s risk for heart disease and numerous other conditions. While people who are overweight will often seek to lose weight, it is the unfortunate case that many of these people will resort to fad diets that promise extraordinary results with very little concern for the health of the individual.

The popular weight-loss diets now are those that require the dieter to restrict the intake of carbohydrates. While people may lose weight while on these diets, health issues may develop as a result of the unhealthy weight loss. The main concern of health professionals is the effect that these diets may have on heart health.

Many critics of the low-carbohydrate diets say these type diets promote heart disease. There is a lot of controversy about this however. Back in November 2006 the results of one of the first studies to examine the long-term effects of low-carb eating suggests low-fat diets don't necessarily promote heart disease.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health who did the study found no evidence of an association between low-carbohydrate diets and increased cardiovascular risk, even when these diets were high in saturated animal fats. Low-carb eating even seemed to be protective against heart disease when vegetables were the main sources of fat and protein in the diet.

The study, which appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, included almost 83,000 female nurses in the Nurses' Health Study. Those nurses provided detailed information about their eating patterns once per year for more than 20 years. The nurses were not asked to follow any particular diets.

A clear message from the research was that extreme diets, which severely restrict either fats or carbohydrates, are not the best choices for cardiovascular disease prevention. Researcher Thomas L. Halton, says "Neither a very low-fat diet or a very low-carbohydrate diet proved to be ideal," he says. "There were pros and cons to both of these diets."

Weight loss by restricting the amount of carbohydrates in the diet shouldn’t be a surprise because any restriction in a particular food will result in a decrease in the amount of calories consumed. Following a low-carb diet doesn’t necessarily mean that an individual should consume large quantities of meat.

However, many dieters do this because these foods are allowed on the diet without any restriction. Including more protein in your diet can contribute to weight loss, however, excessive amounts can cause a buildup of uric acid and saturated fat, the latter being a contributory factor of heart disease.

Although low-carb diets may or may not contribute to heart disease, depending upon who you talk to or what study you may refer to, eating large quantities of foods, such as bread, potatoes, and pasta can cause high levels of insulin in the body. That can result in the liver producing more saturated fats. Of course, excessive amounts of saturated fat in the blood can clog the arteries and cause heart disease. Many of the popular low-carb diets have been modified to specify that a minimum amount of saturated fat should be consumed.

The best diet for weight loss is one that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables. There are several benefits of consuming these foods. Fruits and vegetables contain a variety of vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to keeping the heart healthy. Vitamins A and C, in particular can have an effect on the quality of oxygen in the heart that is associated with the heart functioning properly.

In addition, since fruits and vegetables are typically low in calories you can consume them in large quantities. Any foods that contain natural antioxidants are a good plan for heart health because they will keep the body free of infections that can cause or intensify heart disease.

People on diets often go on a diet without any discussion with their medical doctor. This is a dangerous practice for many reasons, the most important being the fact that there may be a reason for the obesity. A thyroid that is not functioning properly and type 2 diabetes can cause weight gain. Both of these conditions are considered serious and need attention. You should never start a new diet without the consent of your doctor. This is a rule of thumb whether or not you have heart disease.

Copyright © Charles Harmon

Charles is a software developer. He creates websites and writes articles. One of his favorite interests is self-help and personal development . Another is real financial markets . Charles keeps up with new software developments by computer software .

Article Directory: Article Dashboard