Strong Back-up Studies Of Paleo Diet’s Effectiveness
Paleo diet has been taking a lot lately. The diet program is getting its fair share of flak and accolades because there have been proponents and critics that equally throw in their two cents worth of opinion. However there have been studies conducted recently that would attest to the effectiveness of low-carbohydrate diets such as paleo.
Paleo is considered as a low-carbohydrate diet just like Atkin’s and also South Beach. The main concept of paleo is to eat only the allowed foods and away from the foods that were never eaten by the caveman. Eating like a caveman means that there were simple sugars, dairy, processed foods and refined foods that have been wreaking havoc on the health prospects of the modern man.
In the issue of Obesity Reviews that came out in November of 2012, researchers found out that there are no cardiovascular risk factors coming from low-carbohydrate diets. It seems that low-carbohydrate diets are effective in reducing weight. There was a meta-analysis done on the data coming from more than a thousand obese test subjects which showed that there is significant weight loss observed in patients that observed a low-carbohydrate diet plan. The total body mass index, the belly fat and circumference and even the blood pressure all showed some normalcy and were reduced.
In the same study there were significant lower insulin levels including blood sugar levels observed. However the creatinine and the low-density lipoprotein did not change as there were limited data concerning uric acid contents in the blood. The conclusion of this recent study is that adhering to a low-carbohydrate diet such as the paleo may have beneficial effects to the body weight and could lower cardiovascular risks. However, there is a need for further study on long-term health issues. Also, the low-carbohydrate study did not measure the increase in fat and protein content as part of the shift in the macronutrients consumption as a result of the lowered carbohydrate absorption.
On the other hand, researchers from the John Hopkins Medical Center reported on November 2012 in a scientific session that a low-carbohydrate diet can help the body reduce the inflammation. This is the first study that validated the claim of paleo diet that it can reduce the inflammation which is the reason for the modern diseases. An increase in inflammation in the body can lead to increased risks of strokes and heart disease. The increased ability of forming blood clots can interfere with normal blood flow which can lead to injuries and possibly death.
The study that was funded by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute showed that a diet that is high in fat or protein does not interfere with the ability of the body to lower inflammation as long as there is weight loss.
Low-carb diet participants reported a greater drop in the body mass index and better reduction in belly fat and better aerobic fitness including more significant weight loss. The group also participated in an exercise program three times a week.
The two recent studies prove that there is sense in eating fewer carbohydrates and to let fats take over the macronutrient needs of the body. This is consistent with the idea of eating the foods that the body is meant to eat. After all, it worked for our ancestors why not it will work for us?
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