A ketogenic diet such as the Atkins diet provides both protein and dietary fat in abundance. While limited in carbohydrates, the protein you consume helps repair muscle tissue broken down by exercise. Dietary fats allow you to produce important muscle-building hormones, including testosterone. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any dietary program.
Basics of Diet
The Atkins diet, like all low-carb diets, allows you to burn fat by achieving a dietary state known as ketosis, in which you primarily burn ketones instead of sugar for energy. A 2007 study published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" showed that long-term low-carb dieting is more effective than long-term low-fat dieting. The ability to lose body fat, however, is not the same as the ability to build muscle.
Muscle Building Basics
Your muscles consist of proteins and amino acids. These basic compounds make up the fibers that contract to generate power when performing any physical activity, including exercise. To repair damaged muscle cells and fibers, you need to replace the proteins and amino acids that break down during training and general use. Fortunately, the Atkins diet provides plenty of protein. According to a 2000 study published in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition," athletes need up to twice as much protein as sedentary individuals. The Atkins diet provides that.
Fat and Testosterone
The high levels of fats in the Atkins diet make it easier for you to produce steroidal hormones, of which there are many. However, from a muscle-building perspective, testosterone is easily the most important hormone. Testosterone is sometimes referred to as the primary anabolic hormone due to its ability to increase the size of your muscle cells and fibers. While a low-fat diet will limit the ability of your body to produce testosterone, the Atkins diet does not suffer from this limitation.
Specific Fats and Muscles
If you eat a lot of oily fish, nuts and seeds while on the Atkins diet, you are getting plenty of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids fulfill many functions within the body, including the ability of your muscles to synthesize new protein complexes, or repair and rebuild damaged muscle cells. If you are eating red meat on a regular basis, you are getting conjugated linoleic acid, another important fatty acid. Conjugated linoleic acid stimulates your fat cells to burn more efficiently and increases the rate at which your muscle cells recover from exercise.
References
- "Journal of the American College of Nutrition"; "Beyond the Zone: Protein Needs of Active Individuals"; P.W. Lemon; October 2000
- "Journal of Steroidal Biochemistry"; "Decrease of Serum Total and Free Testosterone During a Low-Fat High-Fiber Diet"; E.K. Hamalainen et al; March 1983
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; "Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation Increases the Rate of Muscle Protein Synthesis in Older Adults: a Randomized Controlled Trial"; G.I. Smith et al; February 2011
- "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exericse"; "The Effects of Conjugated Linoleic Acid Supplementation During Resistance Training"; C. Pinkoski et al; February 2006
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