The question of the effects of carbohydrates on human health has been discussed for many years. Researchers offer their theories and suggestions on how people should treat carb diets, and if it is correct to believe that a low carbohydrate diet can be useful for treating or, at least, preventing various diseases. The fact is that “carbohydrates have been wrongly accused of being the ‘fattening’ ingredient of foods” (Sizer & Whitney, 2013, p. 117). Therefore, many people, who try to take care of their weight, start eliminating carb-rich foods. Low-carb diets become popular due to the belief that they can prevent heart diseases. My opinion about the connection between heart diseases and low-carb diets is based on the article written by Sacks and his team for the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2014 where the authors considered several clinical trials and the impact of the glycemic index on cardiovascular disease risk factors (Sacks, Carey, Anderson, Miller, Copelan, & Charleston, 2014). Regarding the results of research, a low carbohydrate diet can hardly be useful in lowering risk of heart diseases, but can matter in treating various diseases as a part of a bigger process. In other words, a simple low carbohydrate diet cannot help the human heart, but it can help to reduce the risk of diseases if it is used in addition to other preventive methods.
There are many ways of how people can reduce the number of risks that can define the quality of a heart work. People can pay more attention to the food they use, the style of life they prefer, and even the presence of harmful habits. Sacks et al. (2014) admitted that some studies were based on the fact that the consumption of low glycemic index foods (whole grains, fruits, and vegetables) was beneficial for a human heart. To comprehend how the level of carbohydrates impacted heart diseases, the researchers chose several diets with one of them made of low-carbs. The results showed that people, who preferred low-carb diets, had a bad insulin response and an increased level of LDL cholesterol (Sacks et al., 2014). The authors concluded that the type of carbs did not create a serious difference or a favorable effect on heart disease prevention.
Many Americans wish to lose fat without any serious risks to their hearts. However, each change in a human body influences every part of the body in some way. Carbohydrates perform their main function, the donation of energy to a body. In addition to this kind of donation, the donation of calories takes place, and the need for energy leads to the need of weight. People stay confused with the necessity to use carbohydrates and protect their hearts at the same time. Researchers continue offering various approaches and ideas about the worth of carbohydrates, and people have to make independent decisions regarding their health indicators, preferences, and personal intentions.
In general, I do not believe that, in itself, a low carbohydrate diet can be useful for treating or preventing various heart diseases. People are free to combine several methods to protect their hearts and avoid obesity problems. Still, they can hardly achieve some positive outcomes in preventing heart diseases relying on the effects of low-carb diets only. The usefulness of such diets may be observed in case other steps like the reduction of harmful habits or the use of vitamins are regularly taken.
References
Sacks, F.M., Carey, V.J., Anderson, C.A.M., Miller, E.R., Copeland, T., & Charleston, J. (2014). Effects of high vs low glycemic index of dietary carbohydrate on cardiovascular disease risk factors and insulin sensitivity. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 312(23), 2531-2541.
Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2013). Nutrition: Concepts and controversies. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.