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There has been a war raging in this nation with the notion that, "CARBS ARE BAD." Although there is a plethora of research based medical articles that clearly state that carbohydrates are NOT bad for you, this main stream "war on carbs" begs to differ.
Let us start with the obvious, carboHYDRATES! The name speaks for itself. Carbohydrates aid in water retention... You know, what roughly 50-75% of your body is composed of, no biggie. For every 1 gram of carbohydrates you consume, your body will retain between 2-3 grams of "good ole H2O." This is critical when considering "low-carb" diets. These diets do have a scientific scheme to them. And that is just it, a scheme, or gimmick of sorts. First, we will touch base on the importance of carbohydrate consumption. Then we will discuss a few issues with low carbohydrate approach to training and long-term weight-loss solutions.
There are 3 macro nutrients (carbs, fats, and proteins). I feel the key to this situation is that they are "essential" nutrients meaning they NEED to be consumed in the diet. With that being said, everything needs to be taken in balance with the nutritional countermeasures of each individuals needs. Muscle glycogen is the primary fuel for quick, explosive activity. The primary source for muscle glycogen stores is the consumption of carbohydrates in your diet. Not only do carbohydrates supply energy for the muscles, but also are the preferred fuel source by your nervous system. This is critical for performance, as well as, thinking and other vital body functions, such as heart beat. These seem pretty important to your survival.
When nutrient consumption is timed correctly and provides adequate resources, recovery rates are expedited and allows for maximal performance during your future workouts. This is critical over long-term training gains, as adequate carbohydrate intake will have anti-catabolic effect on muscle. Another positive of having high glycogen stores is the effects of cellular signaling for muscle growth and recovery. This has a lot to do with carbohydrates role in the release of insulin, an anabolic hormone. As well as, the synergistic relationship with GLUT-4 for intercellular energy production. I will touch base more on nutrient timing in an alternative blog post. Now let's discuss the issues with low or no-carb diets with not only weight loss but performance and recovery, as well.
How many of you have issues with "Yo-Yo" dieting. This is a situation where you may lose 10 or 15 pounds rapidly. Then gain all of that weight back, if not more. This is directly a result the aforementioned benefit of carboHYDRATES. Due to taking advantage of carbs unique relationship with water retention, low or no-carb diets "trick" the consumer by using water weight loss to increase customers willingness to purchase their products. They do NOT offer actually solutions to weight issues.
In addition to the "mislabeled" weight loss, these types of diets have you in a constant state of dehydration, with lower levels of water retention. This is not only an issue with everyday health, but also your ability to produce force and decreases reaction times. This has a lot to do with lack of fuel for the nervous system. In addition to mechanical function issues, long-term lack of carbs can create a state of ketoacidosis or the condition at which your body is primarily functioning on ketone bodies or amino acids(proteins). This is especially dangerous for diabetic patients. This condition can cause a change in blood PH, which can be detrimental to the body and is not the preferred fuel source for your nervous system. This is critical for your brain activity.
If these are not strong supporting factors for the consumption of carbohydrates, then how about the decreased ability for recovery leading to increases rate of injury. In addition to injury, long-term decrease in the ability to train or getting the most out of each session (lack of fuel from carbohydrates) will decrease overall results. AND THAT IS THE NAME OF THE GAME.....RESULTS!
Jordon Kestner CSCS
For additional information, check out these sources:
FREE BOOK!!!!
-Nutrient Timing: The Future of Sport Nutrition by John Ivy Ph.D. and Robert Portman Ph.D. (Look up on Google Scholar)
Best Practical Nutrition Book on the Market by Sport Performance Experts:
-The Renaissance Diet: A Scientific Approach to Getting Leaner and Building Muscle
by Dr. Mike Israetel, Dr. Jen Case, and Dr. James Hoffman