The physiological effects of a low-carbohydrate diet
Item
- Title
- The physiological effects of a low-carbohydrate diet
- Author(s)
- Kakavelaki Maria Ch
- Abstract
- PURPOSE: As the prevalence of obesity and the illnesses associated with obesity increases, many individuals are turriing to low-carbohydrate diets to lose weight despite little scientific informaiton regarding efficacy and safety. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect a low-carbohydrate diet has on the physiological parameters of body weight, % body fat, blood pressure and ketones excreted in the urine. Also, the effect on caloric intake and BM! was investigated. METHODS: Fourteen normal to overweight (BMI range: 20.8 - 41.2) female BCNO subjects voluteered to take part in a four week investigation. The first two weeks consisted of the control period, while the following two weeks was the diet period. The intervention included dietary counselling based on a popular low-carbohydrate diet book, and group meetings (three times a week). Subjective complaints were recorded on symptoms diaries and daily dietary intake was recorded on diet diaries. On days 1, 7 and 14 of both the control and diet periods, weight, NIR % body fat, and blood pressure were measured. BMI, and caloric intake were also calculated. Dietary adherence was monitored by urinary ketone measurement, and the presence of protein in the urine was screened for. RESULTS: Ten of the fourteen subjects (71 %) completed the fourteen day diet. This analysis is based on data from these ten individuals through four weeks. The mean age was 27 years (SD = 5.16), the mean weight upon starting the diet was 70.7 kg (SD = 16.7), BMI was 25.5 kg/m2 (SD = 5.44), NIR % fat was 27.9 (SD = 5.07), blood pressure was 70.9 mmHg (SD = 9.35), and caloric intake was 1440 kcal (SD = 264). A significant decrease was found to occur in caloric intake over a fourteen day control period (mean difference = -175). No significant difference was observed in weight, BMI, or % body fat from the control period to the diet period. A significant reduction was observed in the diastolic blood pressure (mean difference = 5.00 mmHg) and caloric intake (mean difference = 158 kcal) from the control period to the diet period. A correlation between % body fat Vs diastolic blood pressure, and BMI Vs diastolic blood pressure was observed. Symptomatic complaints from the diet were relatively few and sporadic. Theyincluded fatigue, thirst, lassitude, bad taste, headaches (for the fIrst 3 days of the diet), foul breath, mood changes and constipation. None of these complaints were severe enough to interfere with daily routines or to require changes in the diet. CONCLUSION: In this study of normal to overweight individuals, a low carbohydrate diet led to a decrease in blood pressure and caloric intake. This diet was well tolerated, with few symptoms experienced.
- presented at
- British College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Date Accepted
- 2002
- Date Submitted
- 1.11.2003 00:00:00
- Type
- undergraduate_project
- Language
- English
- Number of pages
- 92
- Submitted by:
- 62
- Pub-Identifier
- 13001
- Inst-Identifier
- 1076
- Keywords
- Nutrition,Diet,Body Mass Index,Carbohydrates
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Kakavelaki Maria Ch, “The physiological effects of a low-carbohydrate diet”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 5, 2025, https://www.osteopathicresearch.org/s/orw/item/1337