Research Paper on Health Effects of Low-Carbohydrate Diets Summary

Introduction

There has been an unending debate on the effect of reducing the rate of carbohydrates intake while managing weight as well as diabetes. The idea has attracted a lot of criticism from scholars, but ironically, the American Diabetes Association has approved it as one of the means that can be used to manage the two menaces. To some extent, they have argued their case to their best and have proof that reduced amounts of starch have some positive impact. The center of the conflict between the scholars and the representatives of the association is the quantity described as a low level of carbohydrate. The association argues that low levels can be as high as 200 grams. Looking at that logically, it seems to be a very high amount and thus the said conflict. As a way to salvage the situation, several approaches have been used. There exist several surveys that suggest many people who live with diabetes still obtain a large percentage of their energy from carbohydrates. Conservatism ideologies are losing in their own game as it is not in all cases that reducing the rate of carbohydrate consumption can help in weight loss. After all, one should be allowed to take in the amounts of carbohydrates that are sufficient for the bodies (Rosett, Aebersold, Conlon, Isasi, & Ostrovsky, 2014). There is a possibility that more serious problems such cardiovascular diseases may arise from lack of enough calories.

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One of the problems associated with the low intake of carbohydrates is low levels of potassium. In most cases, foods that are supposed to yield carbohydrates for the body have high levels of potassium. This is to imply that a reduction in the intake of foods has a negative effect on the health of individuals. It, therefore, requires the intervention of nutrition specialist to be sure of the right amounts of carbohydrate requires. The glucose levels in the blood play a vital role in determining the types of nutrition patterns to consider. If for example there is a high amount of sugar in the blood, one has to go for reduced amounts of starch and vice versa. Additionally, it is hard to ignore the efforts of a nutritionist throughout the whole process. They act as doctors, mothers as well as councillors. It is therefore fair to recognize their efforts and applaud them for the same. Apart from the levels glucose and the feeding patterns, the genetic composition of an individual can be used to determine the amounts of carbohydrate that they require. Genes vary from individual to individual.it is therefore not advisable to approach the diet plan of a second individual since one is not sure of how their bodies will react to the same. The most significant result of the research is that reduced intake of glucose-rich foods are effective as far a reduction of health risks are concerned. The cardiovascular diseases and glycemia are the two important diseases that showed a significant reduction.

Comparison between Plant and Animal Proteins about Metabolic Syndrome Summary

Proteins included in the diet cab by far help in the prevention of dysfunctions of the metabolic system. The problem, however, arises when it comes to determining the criteria under which their function within the system. Dietary proteins consist of both animal and plant proteins. Plant proteins can be described as the type of proteins that are primarily obtained from plant products specifically the legumes. Legumes are plants that are rich in proteins, e.g. the beans and peace. On the other hand, animal proteins originate from animal products in the likes of meat and milk. In other cases, eggs are included in the same class. Some of the metabolic disorders that are of importance to date include cholesterolemia and blood pressure. Comparing animal and plant proteins, plant proteins appear to have more impact on the dysfunctions. They cause a greater reduction in the levels of low-density lipoprotein (Demersay et al., 2017). This is a type of cholesterol that appears to be dangerous to the body when in higher amounts. One of the major problems associated with LDL is the increased risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular diseases are hard to treat, and therefore they are best prevented by taking a higher amount of plant proteins as compared to the animal proteins.

It is unfortunate that individuals who suffer from the said dysfunctions are likely to suffer from diabetes. Diabetes has become a menace, and it is associated with abnormal levels of glucose in the blood. It may either be due to a defect in the pancreas which produces insulin that regulates the levels of glucose in the blood. At times, the insulin is defective, and that can be attributed to the previously mentioned disorders. To ascertain the difference between the impacts of the two groups of proteins research was carried out. The research had very many parameters to put into consideration including the age, sensitivity of insulin and the body mass index of individuals among many others. It is unfortunate that most individuals think that they have diabetes due to their poor feeding habits. That is however not the case in most cases. There can be natural causes such as the insensitivity of the insulin which in most cases is associated with the genetic composition of an individual.

It is in books that low levels of LDL and HDL can help mitigate the risk of cardiovascular diseases. From the research, it is evident that the best way to get rid of cholesterol is by incorporating high amounts of soy proteins in the diet. Additionally, it is clear that consumption of whole proteins works better than the use of protein supplements. This is for the obvious reason that the supplements have undergone some industrial processing and thus components are likely to have been lost. There have been many theories to support the fact that soy proteins are effective but none of them seems to have a reasonable backing. However, its amino acid seems to make some sense. Though are few pieces of evidence, the research concludes that increased protein intake can reduce blood pressure.

Lessons From the Articles

The first articles focus majorly on the importance of taking enough amounts of carbohydrate-rich foods unless advised otherwise. The advice should only come from a nutrition specialist with reasonable experience. It is also clear that in other cases, low amounts of carbohydrate can be helpful especially when it comes to weight loss. Caution should, however, be employed to avoid starvation and more serious problems associated with a decrease in the levels of glucose in the blood. The second article addresses the two types of proteins classified by their source. The two are an animal and plant protein of which the plant proteins seems to win the day in their efficiency. Apart from weight loss, they can also help to lower the level of unwanted materials in the body. Although they are not effective in all cases, they have at least proven to be somewhat effective. A reduction in the unwanted materials such as cholesterol means there is a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases.

The articles have their shortcoming in that the criticism they attract questions their integrity. The presence of a conflict between the researchers and the scholars is enough to prove that the articles are not 100%. Next time, the articles should address all issues such that there is a neutral ground as well as a consensus between the two particles. Involving a wider research ground will also lead to the development of a more comprehensive article. Despite the shortcoming, the two are nice articles and are educative particularly to a nutritionist. Additionally, they are a bit simple in the sense that they can be easily understood. The second article is more clear and can have a great impact on both the nutritional counsellors and the patients.

References

Demersay, T. C., Marniche, D. A., Arfsten, J., Egli, L., Gaudichon, C., Karagounis, L. G., & Tome, D. (2017, March 1). The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 147, Issue 3. A Systematic Review of the Effects of Plant Compared with Animal Protein Sources on Features of Metabolic Syndrome. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/147/3/281/4584732

Rosett, J. W., Aebersold, K., Conlon, B., Isasi, C. R., & Ostrovsky, N. W. (2014, April 1). Health Effects of Low-Carbohydrate Diets: Where Should New Research Go? Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3595318/