With the USDA estimating that 40 million Americans are turning to a "low-carb lifestyle," it is time to examine the effect of this widespread dietary change on health and culture. While so many American's are signing up for the latest fad diet, low-carb, marketers have been quick to turn a profit by targeting these individuals with low-carb snack pepperonis, pork rinds and the 73 grams of fat Low Carb Breakfast Bowl from Carl's Jr./Hardee's.
In the first quarter of this year, 586 new low-carb products hit the market. That translates to six new items per day. Krispy Kreme even blames its recent downfall on the market changes of the low-carb craze. The long-term health effects have been debated and experts say low carb diets can be risky, especially for those over 40.
The low-carb fad finds its roots in the Atkins diet which believes that sugar from carbohydrates is responsible for weight gain. Atkins is based on the principle that carbs raise blood sugar which in turn triggers insulin production. This insulin directs blood sugar into the cells thereby preventing the burning of stored fats. Atkins thereby 'deduced' that carbohydrates encourage weight gain.
While reducing carbs is a major part of the Atkins diet, Dr. Stuart Trage, medical director for Atkins Nutritionals, points out that individuals tend to focus on the induction period, where carbs are most strictly limitted. Trage points out that eventually the right carbohydrates are reintegrated into the diet.
The good news is that in the short term, according to the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, low carb diets "may be safe." Also, in the short term, individuals on a low-carb diet tend to lose more weight than individuals on other low fat diets.
Two recent studies in the Annals of Internal Medicine, however, report that individuals on a low-carb diet obtain the same amount of weight loss after a year as those on more traditional low-fat diets. It is important to note that, according to Dr. Donald Hensrud, Weight management specialist at the Mayo Clinic, that caloric intake is "the bottom line." All the carb cutting in the world won't matter unless caloric intake is also controlled. Dr. Ian Smith of Men's Health magazine reports that individuals on a low-carb diet are more likely to gain the weight back after stopping than any other diet. In addition, a 1995 study found that diets similar to Atkins are detrimental to complex cognitive performance and brain function after only one week.
The bad news is the increased risk to an individual's health. For example, if the body is burning large amounts of fats without sufficient dietary carbohydrates, the body produces ketones. These ketones produce side effects such as headaches, dehydration, bad breath and nausea. Over time "health care professionals fear bone loss, muscle breakdown and kidney disease" as a result of low carb diet induced ketosis, reports Ann Saul Dudrich of the Tribune-Review.
An additional side-effect of the low-carb diet is an increased risk for heart attack. Although two recent studies in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that low carb diets do not increase LDL or bad cholesterol levels long term, doctors still acknowledge the increased risk of heart attack. One of the authors of this study, Frederick F. Samaha, believes that "Odds are" a low-carb diet that is high in fat is going to increase the risk of heart attack.
Yet it turns out that Dr. Atkins, who lived the low-carb lifestyle for decades, experienced artery blockages that are typically attributed to "high-fat, high-cholesterol diets" (read more). Dr. Atkins' downfall is not the only that may be attributed to the diet. The irregularities in Rachel Huskey's electrolytes, a 16-year-old who favored the Atkins diet, ended up killing her. Other individuals' bad experiences, including Huskey's, can be found here.
The low-carb lifestyle encourages indulgence; you can consume as much "approved" food as you want. Therein lies its appeal. This ability to "pig out" has allowed fast food producers, casual dining restaurants and snack food manufacturers to market products as healthy.
Carl's Jr. and Hardee's have been banking on the low carb craze producing new menu options such as the low-carb Breakfast Bowl and the low carb Six Dollar Burger which boasts one half pound of beef and a lettuce bun. The low carb Breakfast Bowl contains 73 grams of fat, more than the recommended daily amount and nearly twice as much as the low carb Six Dollar Burger. This "healthy alternative" to the breakfast sandwich also contains 875 mg of heart-choking Cholesterol. To help your body process all the increased fats and proteins of the low carb Breakfast Bowl, you'll need Centrum's new Carb Assist.
Carb Assist is perfect in helping balance the un-balanced low-carb diet. The company claims "If you're living a low-carb lifestyle, you should be aware that you might be missing out on important vitamins and nutrients." But don't worry about that extra fat intake because Centrum Carb Assist is loaded "high levels of select nutrients" that will help you process excess fats.
Subway, KFC, McDonald's, TGI Friday's and Round Table Pizza have all been quick to bank on the low carb-craze. It turns out that these low-carb foods are "nutritionally empty and are very expensive."
According to Paul Campos, author of The Obesity Myth: Why America's Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to Your Health, "People are willing to pay a premium for these foods that are actually cheaper to manufacture because of an ideological distortion that this food is actually going to make them more healthy" (read more).
For example, Round Table Pizza offers a new "skinny crust" pizza. This pizza boasts less carbs because there is essentially 30 percent less crust. Less pizza is not only cheaper to produce, but can be sold for the same price as a regular pizza due to the appeal of its alleged healthiness. In the realm of low-carb burgers, lettuce is cheaper than buns; in the soda venue, Coca-Cola's C2 is packaged in eight packs of 12 ounce cans. In some markets, these eight packs are sold for the same price as the regular 12 packs. In this aspect, the low-carb craze has made it possible for food producing chains to make more money off of a product that costs less.
While a recent survey conducted by the Grocery Manufacturers of America found that 74 percent of respondents claimed to be following some form of low-carb diet, soda manufacturers have jumped on the marketing opportunity. Coca-Cola has introduced C2 which boasts half the sugar of regular Coke. Pepsi has introduced Pepsi Edge, a similar product. These "new" products are merely a mix between their diet and regular counterparts. Diet soda's, including C2 and Pepsi Edge, contain aspartame, sometimes marketed as NutraSweet.
Aspartame, meanwhile, has been documented to have over 92 different side effects ranging from seizures to slurred speech. Aspartame, via methanol poisoning, mimics the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis, when individuals experiencing these symptoms discontinued use of aspartame products the symptoms dissipated. According to Dr. Wurtman, a professor of neuroendocrinology at MIT, an individual who consumes four to five aspartame sweetened drinks per day for a prolonged period is putting themselves at the risk of affecting their brain's neurotransmitters. This interference can result in irritability, moodswings, anxiety, insomnia, migraine headaches and depression.
While the risks of aspartame appear great, the product in diet sodas may also be responsible for promoting weight gain — as counterintuitive as it may seem. The sweet taste of diet soda creates a cephalic phase response that causes the liver to prepare to receive sugar. When no sugar appears, the liver prompts the body to eat, which can result in increased hunger and over eating. Diet sodas also contain caffeine. Caffeine consumption can cause overindulgence when the body confuses the hunger and thirst sensations.
Top beer producers have been quick to leap on the low-carb boat. It started with Michelob Ultra, marketed to people who work out. Then came others like Rolling Rock's Green Light, products from Coors, and the reemergence of Miller High Life Light. Even Miller Lite and Bud Light reformatted their advertising techniques in order to snare the low carb crowd.
Food producers know that if individuals are focusing on carbs they are less likely to notice that new products are extremely unhealthy. Advertisers are gunning for you; their latest weapon exploits the low-carb craze. Further, the fast food industry lobbied successfully to protect itself from lawsuits alleging that consuming their food was deleterious to health. This legislation, known as the Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act of 2003, known as the "Cheeseburger Bill," seeks to protect the food industry from lawsuits holding them responsible for obesity or obesity-related diseases.
With federal protection, and clever marketing tools, American food producers continue to act irresponsibly. But they're just giving the consumer what they want; low carbs, high flavor, high fat, and "healthiness." Quoting former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, food producers should "watch what they say, watch what they do;" these false claims can only lead to troubles ahead.
By Phillip J. Carlson | RAW STORY CONTRIBUTOR