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The following is from a health forum doing research on the internet I can find proponents of both diets. Personally I work out 4+ times a week ( I teach Powerstep Aerobics). I find that I need a balance, as this article suggest. Low carbs and high protein does make you have cravings for sweets and the sort, on the other hand carbs are turned into sugar then fat if not burned off! I used to be mostly high carbs but found that I stayed about the same. Then I switched to high protein and found I was sluggish and had cravings. Now I try for a balance. As for articles you read look for what they are researching, I find that a lot of research is not to see if one diet causes one thing or another but weather it aid a preconsisting condition. Such was a study with high protein and kidney cancer. If you read the study carefully you note that they were not saying it caused kidney cancer but that those with the cancer who went on a high protein diet had a harder time fighting the cancer. Now we have a new study that suggest that the cancer fight can be aided by canceling all sugar from your diet (seems cancer cells need a higher glucose level than normal cells). Bottom line find something that works in conjuction with a healty exercise regiment. And fight those cravings. As for myself I tend to have a little more protein than carbs now but my protein source is not alot of red meat (tuna is very high). And I try to get a hard aerobic and anerobic workout 4+ times a week. The Story There's never a dearth of new diets, most of which fade away faster than the pounds they guarantee you'll take off. Here are two of the newest: Many health clubs now tout the high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets found in several new books, while a soon-to-be-published book promotes just the reverse�a low- protein, high-carbohydrate diet�for losing weight and improving mood in the process. High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets have been with us for decades. Limiting the supply of carbohydrates supposedly forces the body to burn fat when it needs energy. It is also supposed to keep insulin levels on an even keel, instead of swinging up and down throughout the day, which may control appetite. But too much protein and not enough carbohydrates could ultimately lead to binge eating, says Judith Wurtman, PhD, whose research at MIT over the past decade has led her to publish a new book called The Serotonin Solution. In her dieting scenario, an excess of protein depletes levels of a neurotransmitter called serotonin. Low levels of serotonin can trigger cravings for diet- defeating sweet and starchy foods, and can also make people irritable and restless. According to Wurtman's thesis, which she described at an obesity conference in Washington, DC, last month, high-protein diets interfere with serotonin in two ways. When protein is digested, it is broken up into amino acids. High concentrations of amino acids in the bloodstream make it difficult for the brain to absorb a relatively rare amino acid called tryptophan, which the brain needs to make serotonin. And Wurtman says that digesting complex carbohydrates increases the uptake of tryptophan and thus stimulates serotonin production. Is a high-carbohydrate diet better than a high-protein diet for losing weight or keeping it off, or are they anything more than the latest in a long line of diet fads? --The Editors The Physician's Perspective George Blackburn, MD Thanks to archaeological studies and observations of modern hunter-gatherer societies, we believe that early humans ate a diet much higher in protein, fruits, and vegetables, but lower in carbohydrates and much, much lower in saturated fats than today's "average" diet. Protein once accounted for about 34 percent of calories; carbohydrates, mostly as fruits and vegetables, accounted for about 45 percent of calories; and about 21 percent of calories came from fat, mostly polyunsaturated fats. Obesity was rare. Today, roughly one third of adults and one quarter of children in the U.S. are obese. The average American gets about 15 percent of his or her calories from protein, about 45 percent from carbohydrates, and 40 percent or more from fats, mostly saturated fats. The fact that our ancestors ate a diet high in protein doesn't necessarily mean we should. For one, that was the balance in the food they could find. More important, the average American expends 500 calories less energy each day than we did just 50 years ago. And the abundance of high-fat, low-fiber food makes it far easier to overeat. High-protein or carbohydrate-banning diets have been around since the mid-1950s. Remember the Atkins Diet, the Grapefruit Diet, the Stillman Diet, or the Mayo Clinic Diet? All condemned carbohydrates as anathema to dieters. Despite their popularity, there isn't a shred of solid, scientific proof�the kind that would stand up to peer review in a respected medical journal�that high-protein diets are better at lowering your body weight over the long term than a balanced, low-calorie diet that's more in tune with the average eating patterns. What about the high-carbohydrate serotonin solution? Judith Wurtman and her colleagues suggest that some people compulsively overeat or binge because low serotonin levels in their brains make them crave carbohydrates. There is no question that the more tryptophan that gets into the brain, the more serotonin the brain can produce. And it's known that serotonin plays an important role in mood and hunger. (Keep in mind that drugs like Prozac, which are commonly prescribed for depression and binge eating, work by increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain and nerve endings.) Unfortunately, there is insufficient evidence that you can increase serotonin levels by manipulating your diet. I'm not saying you should steer clear of either a high-protein or a high- carbohydrate diet. If you want or need to lose some weight, go ahead and try one of them. If it makes you feel good and helps you lose weight, stick with it. If it doesn't, try the other. Here are a few caveats: �Obesity and overeating result from the interplay of metabolic, genetic, environmental, behavioral, and cultural factors. Start any weight-loss program by seeing a physician and a nutritionist who can determine the reasons for your excess weight. �Eat a variety of foods�that's the safest, surest way to get the essential nutrients you need and prevent nutritional deficiencies. �Select a diet that lets you eat foods you enjoy. If you are overweight, anything you can do to lose a few pounds will improve your health. Choose the diet that makes you look and feel better. Dr. Blackburn is director of nutrition support services at New England Deaconess Hospital and vice president-elect of the North American Society for the Study of Obesity. -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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