Analysis of Health Problems Associated with High-Protein, High-Fat, Carbohydrate-Restricted Diets Reported via an Online Registry Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Updated …

While a few recent studies have noted that high-protein, carbohydrate-restricted diets facilitate modest short-term weight loss, no studies to date have investigated the long- term health consequences of consuming such diets for weight-loss purposes. Studies of general populations consuming diets high in fat, particularly saturated fat (low- carbohydrate diets have not been studied specifically) have shown increased risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Mixed diets high in animal protein have been shown to increase the risk of kidney problems, osteoporosis, and some types of cancer. These studies raise concerns as to whether low-carbohydrate diets, which are typically high in saturated fat and animal protein, might pose the same risks. In addition, because fiber is found only in plant foods, and high-protein, high-fat, carbohydrate- restricted diets tend to be low in plant foods, these diets are also typically low in fiber. In studies of general populations, low fiber intake is associated with increased risk of colon cancer and other malignancies, heart disease, diabetes, and constipation. Again, these studies raise the question as to whether similar problems occur in low-carbohydrate dieters. Some high-protein, very-low-carbohydrate, weight-loss diets are designed to induce ketosis . When carbohydrate intake or utilization is insufficient to provide glucose to the cells that rely on it as an energy source, ketone bodies are formed from fatty acids. An increase in circulating ketones can disturb the body’s acid-base balance, causing metabolic acidosis. Evidence suggests that even mild acidosis can have potentially deleterious consequences over the long run, including low blood phosphate levels, resorption of calcium from bone, increased risk of osteoporosis, and an increased propensity to form kidney stones. These findings raise concerns that high-protein, high-fat, low-fiber, carbohydrate- restricted diets used for prolonged periods may increase the risk of health problems, despite the short-term weight loss that may accompany their…

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