The Dangers of the Low Carb Craze

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Well, its happening...what I warned months ago to those on my IBS support group online.

The low carb diet craze is taking over, to the point where some manufacturers who previously made low fat, high carb products are switching to high fatm low carb. So what are people like me (cyclists who need high carb intake) and who suffer from IBS (a medical condition requiring low fat, high carb foods) going to do?? For years, an IBS sufferer, I was able to ride on the coattails of the dieters low fat philosophy...but I can't anymore.

Irma Zandl of Zandl Group trend consultancies, says in TIME (Aug 19 2003) that the low carb fad/craze should peak in about 18 months (which is the same thing my personal trainer said to me)...I certainly hope it does and so we can be rid of it!

Agreed! I can't undersand why so many people have taken this on so strongly when there is so little reliable and independant support for the diet.

I LOST 40 POUNDS ON THE ATKINS DIET AND NOW RACE "A" GRADE AS A RESULT. I STILL LIMIT CARBS AND HAVE NO PROBLEMS RACING AND TRAINING. SO I THINK FOR MOST PEOPLE THAT CARB LOADING IS CRAP UNLESS U SUFFER "IBS" . AT LEAST IT IS FOR ME.

Originally posted by SCOOBA STEVE
I LOST 40 POUNDS ON THE ATKINS DIET AND NOW RACE "A" GRADE AS A RESULT. I STILL LIMIT CARBS AND HAVE NO PROBLEMS RACING AND TRAINING. SO I THINK FOR MOST PEOPLE THAT CARB LOADING IS CRAP UNLESS U SUFFER "IBS" . AT LEAST IT IS FOR ME.

I lost over 100 lbs by simply eating low fat and exercising...and going back to cycling. Took 22 yrs to gain it, and only 1 1/2 yrs to lose it. And whats good is, unlike a low carb diet, I can keep eating/living like this forever and it can only help me...lower risk of heart disease, diabetes and many other health problems.

I find when I don't load up on carbs before and during something as simple as an hr or more on the exercise bike, I tend to bonk out. Seems that carbs are very important if you do a lot of aerobic exercising, esp. cycling.

The real lesson here is that there can be very big differences in how an individual metabolizes different types of foods. A generic low fat/high carb diet is a real problem for me. On the other hand I believe that for many people an Atkins approach could be very dangerous.

I wish that there were some blood tests that checked an individual's reaction to various types of foods and allowed a specific tailoring of diet.

Originally posted by SCOOBA STEVE
I LOST 40 POUNDS ON THE ATKINS DIET AND NOW RACE "A" GRADE AS A RESULT. I STILL LIMIT CARBS AND HAVE NO PROBLEMS RACING AND TRAINING. SO I THINK FOR MOST PEOPLE THAT CARB LOADING IS CRAP UNLESS U SUFFER "IBS" . AT LEAST IT IS FOR ME.

What kind of carbs do you limit? What do you describe as limiting carbs?

If you restrict all carbs (including complex carbs), how come you dont get glycogen depleted?

Biochemicaly, carbohydrate is required for both glycolysis and krebs cycle. Both important parts of energy production during life and exercise!