HOW A LOW CARB DIET WORKS

Extensive research has proven that dietary fat is not necessarily converted into body fat. Carbohydrates are readily converted into fat as an action of insulin. According to many experts, most overweight people became overweight due to hyperinsulinemia - elevated insulin levels in the blood. When you eat a meal high in carbohydrates, the increased blood sugar stimulates insulin production by the pancreas. Insulin is the hormone that allows blood sugar to be used by the cells.

A side effect of insulin is that it also causes fat to be deposited. It stimulates your brain to produce hunger signals. Naturally, you then eat more carbohydrates, and the cycle repeats itself. Over time, your cells become resistant to insulin, meaning that your pancreas has to work overtime, producing up to four or five times as much insulin as it normally does just to keep up with the high demand for it. It's been shown that high levels of insulin have a harmful effect on the body. How does premature aging strike you?

Limiting the intake of carbohydrates puts an end to this cycle. When you reduce your carbohydrate intake, your insulin levels decrease and the levels of glucagon increase. Glucagon is the hormone that causes body fat to be burned and cholesterol to be removed from deposits in the arteries.

If you severely restrict carbohydrates, the body goes into a state called ketosis - this is the burning of fat with the subsequent production of ketone bodies in your bloodstream. What is the result of ketosis? Your blood sugar levels stabilize, your insulin level drops, and you burn fat. There are inexpensive ketone test strips on the market so you can find out when you're in ketosis or not.

When a diet causes your body to go into ketosis, it's considered a ketogenic diet. For most people, restricting carbohydrate intake to less than 30 grams a day will induce ketosis. Most people on these diets lose weight quickly. While diet experts believe ketosis is a safe condition, it's not necessary to lose weight. If you choose a higher level of carbohydrates than needed to bring on ketosis, you may need to limit your total caloric intake in order to lose weight.

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