In an attempt to fight the battle of the bulge, numerous diet theories and fads for weight loss have come up. Some of the popular diets are based on the belief that carbohydrates are the chief culprits.
Low-carbohydrate diets like Atkin’s diet, Zone diet, Mayo Clinic diet, Drinking Man’s diet, and Air Force diet have gained popularity as slimming diets. Carbohydrate content in these diets can be as low as 15-40 grams a day compared to the minimum daily requirement of 100-120 grams a day for an average adult to provide fuel to the brain. Such low levels of carbohydrates are chief concerns of such diets. These diets are nutritionally imbalanced as they may be low in certain essential nutrients like dietary fibre, B vitamins, folic acid, vitamin C and minerals like iron and calcium.

Reduced levels of folic acid and B vitamins have been associated with increased incidence of heart diseases due to elevated levels of homocysteine (an artery-damaging amino acid produced by the body during the breakdown of another amino acid, methionine). Elevated homocysteine can injure the lining of blood vessels, increase the production of muscle cells surrounding vessels and promote blood clots and plaque formation.

Increased incidence of heart diseases among those on low-carbohydrate diets can also be attributed to increased fat intake. High fat intake is also associated with increased incidence of obesity and other chronic diseases including cancer. Incidentally, high-fat diets are also associated with water loss, electrolyte imbalance, kidney dysfunction and increased uric acid leading to joint pains and gout. For non-vegetarians, such diets can also be rich in cholesterol.

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