And you think Adkins and Paleo diets always work?

Are you eating a low-carb, high-fat fad diet like Adkins or Paleo in order to lose weight? Do you have a family history of diabetes or have you been told you have prediabetes? If so, then you really need to read this.

Low-carb diets like the Paleo or Adkins diet are still really popular. Many people lose weight following them, but others don’t. Furthermore, for those with prediabetes these low-carb, high-fat diets don’t reduce the risk of advancing from prediabetes to diabetes.

Study showed weight gain and no change in risk for diabetes

A 2016 study reported in Nutrition and Diabetes magazine found that New Zealand Obese mice with prediabetes fed a low-carb, high-fat diet gained weight, and did not see an improved function of their insulin-producing pancreas. The mice were fed a low-carb diet consisting of 13% protein, 6% carbs and 81% fat, with over half of the fat calories coming from saturated fat. Even though their triglycerides and HDL(the good cholesterol) improved, they gained weight and their was no improvement to the health of their pancreas. In other words, they got fatter and their prediabetes did not improve.

Researchers believe that a low-carb, high-fat diet causes an accumulation of fat in the liver causing the liver to keep making glucose. In healthy people, higher insulin blood levels halt the production of glucose in the liver. This normal process goes awry when someone with prediabetes eats a low-carb, high-fat diet. Keep in mind, the CDC reports that more than 1 out of 3 adults in the U.S. have prediabetes.

Caveats to the study

The diet used in the low-carb, high-fat diet study consisted of a very high fat diet – over 3/4 of the calories were coming from fat and half of those were from the heart-clogging saturated kind. I wonder what the results would have been if the diet had consisted of slightly less fat and the heart-healthy unsaturated kind – the mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Would there have been weight loss and improved pancreatic function?

Paleo and Adkins Diet premises

adkins diet

From Adkins.com

The Adkins and Paleo diet depending on what you choose to eat could have you consuming a diet low in carbs but really high in fat – the saturated kind if you are not careful. There are a few differences in the two diets. The Paleo diet forbids dairy, meaning cheese, yogurt, and milk and encourages only grass-fed meat.

From the Paleodiet.com

It also emphasizes heart-healthy fats mainly from fish, seeds, oils like olive and flax seed, and avocado. The Adkins diet does not discern between saturated fat and healthy fats. It also allows cheese and only full fat dairy after phase 1. Both diets encourage lots of non-starchy veggies, but the Paleo diet allows fruit from the start and expects that 35-45% of your calories come from non-starchy fruits and veggies.

The proof is in the pudding

You have to use some common sense when it comes to dietary choices. Why not use some of the dietary tips from the Omniheart study that protects heart health while still eating a lower carb diet? Here are some other tidbits:

  1. Know your blood cholesterol and glucose levels. If your LDL, triglycerides and fasting blood sugars are going down, as well as your weight, then it’s working!
  2. People don’t gain weight from eating too many non-starchy veggies. The more the merrier. They are low-calorie (as long as the toppings and dips are used sparingly), they have plenty of vitamins and minerals, and they are high in fiber. They give you volume that will fill you up. Try roasting them, blending them in smoothies or adding a variety of them to soups and casseroles. Diet or not, veggies are the key to keeping weight off.
  3. Don’t go hog-wild over bacon and sausage. I heard stories of people on the Adkins diet eating a pound of bacon for breakfast. Even if you are losing weight with Adkins (Paleo discourages processed meat), your arteries have to be screaming. The same goes for eating large portions of cheese and beef fat. Just don’t do that!!
  4. Emphasize the heart-healthy fats. This just makes sense. It’s like walking through an old battle field zone with landmines – wouldn’t you want to stay on the proven path and not veer off??? Ketosis or not, why play with so many saturated fats that will only put you at risk for a heart attack or stroke?

Make sustainable lifestyle changes to lose weight

Fad diets like Adkins and Paleo may seem like a prescription to a lovely destination, but are you losing weight? And if you reached your goal are you going to keep maintaining on that diet? You most likely still have to learn how to keep old habits at bay. Find a path to health that is sustainable. NutritionAction.com, a nonprofit group that has consumer’s interests at heart (they are the ones that got trans-fats listed on food labels), has a wonderful guide that will help you lose weight in a sensible way and keep your heart healthy.

Barbara Groth

About Barbara Groth

I’m Barbara. I have always had a passion for helping people to feel good. As a nurse my early years were focused on getting sick people back to baseline. After becoming a diabetes educator and health coach my passion became raising that bar on the baseline – helping my clients to not only feel better but to look better and have a whole new outlook on life.