No carbohydrate diet plans, such as the Atkins diet, require you to cut out almost all carbohydrates and eat only protein and fat-rich foods, such as meats and vegetables.
Carbohydrates are foods that are generally starch-rich, such as breads, cereals, pasta and desserts (if they contain sugar).
History
No-carbohydrate and low-carbohydrate diets first became popular in 1972, when New York City cardiologist Dr. Robert Atkins published the book "Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution." Dr. Atkins based his diet---what he called a "nutritional approach"---on the idea that low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets were more effective for weight-loss than low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets.
How It Works
The Atkins Diet is what is called a ketogenic diet. According to Atkins, if the body does not have enough sugar to incite an insulin response, and glycogen stores in the liver become depleted, hormonal changes occur that cause the body to begin burning stored fat for energy instead. When this happens, the stored fat is converted into free fatty acids and ketone bodies---hence the term ketogenic.
Why It Works
According to Atkins, because the body no longer gets its energy from sugar, the body starts burning its fat stores, which results in weight loss. However, a study published in the journal "The Lancet" in 2004 by Arne Astrup, Thomas Meinert Larsen and Angela Harper raise the question as to whether people on low-carbohydrate diets lose weight because they have fewer food options, get bored and thus eat less.
Warnings
People who are on low-carbohydrate diets may have lower circulating levels of calcium, magnesium and potassium, and, as a result, may be at an increased risk of developing osteoporosis and kidney stones, according to an article published by Dr. Dean Ornish in the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association" in 2004. Ornish also argued that subjects on the diet suffer from constipation, halitosis, headaches and hearing loss.
Considerations
People on low-carbohydrate diets typically consume more fat than people on low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets, which suggests that they may suffer from higher levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol and an increased risk of heart disease. However, a study published in the "New England Journal of Medicine" in 2006 by Thomas L. Halton, Walter C. Willett, Simin Liu, JoAnn E. Manson, Christine M. Albert, Kathryn Rexrode and Frank B. Hu, found that over the course of 20 years of follow-up, low-carbohydrate diets do not increase the risk of heart disease in women.
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