What about the myth that long-term LC eating causes hypothyroidism and metabolic disorders? I keep reading that people (especially women) need 50 grams of carbs a day. Were that true, the Inuit and others who eat precious few carbs would have rampant depression and hypothyroidism.

Here’s a quote from Lyle McDonald in “The Ketogenic Diet.” Would love to hear your take on this.

“The body has two types of thyroid hormones (42). The primary active thyroid hormone is T3, called triiodothyronine. T3 is responsible most of the metabolic effects in the body. The other thyroid hormone is T4, called thyroxine. Thyroxine is approximately one-fifth as metabolically active as T3 and is considered to be a storage form of T3 in that it can be converted to T3 in the liver.

“T3 levels in the body are primarily related to the carbohydrate content of the diet (44-46) although calories also play a role (47-49). When calories are above 800 per day, the carbohydrate content of the diet is the critical factor in regulating T3 levels and a minimum of 50 grams per day of carbohydrate is necessary to prevent the drop in T3 (44,48,49). To the contrary, one study found that a 1500 calorie diet of 50% carbohydrate and 50% fat still caused a
drop in T3, suggesting that fat intake may also affect thyroid hormone metabolism (50).

“Below 800 calories per day, even if 100% of those calories come from carbohydrate, T3 levels drop (47). Within days of starting a ketogenic diet, T3 drops quickly. This is part of the adaptation to prevent protein losses and the addition of synthetic T3 increases nitrogen losses during a ketogenic diet (1). In fact the ability to rapidly decrease T3 levels may be one determinant of how much protein is spared while dieting (51).

“Hypothyroidism and euthyroid stress syndrome (ESS)

“There are two common syndromes associated with low levels of T3 which need to be differentiated from one another. Hypothyroidism is a disease characterized by higher than normal thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and lower levels of T3 and T4. The symptoms of this disease include fatigue and a low metabolic rate.

“The decrease in T3 due to hypothyroidism must be contrasted to the decrease seen during dieting or carbohydrate restriction. Low levels of T3 with normal levels of T4 and TSH (as seen in ketogenic dieting) is known clinically as euthyroid stress syndrome (ESS) and is not associated with the metabolic derangements seen in hypothyroidism (1). The drop in T3 does not appear to be linked to a drop in metabolic rate during a ketogenic diet(17,52).

“As with other hormones in the body (for example insulin), the decrease in circulating T3 levels may be compensated for by an increase in receptor activity and/or number (1). This has been shown to occur in mononuclear blood cells but has not been studied in human muscle or fat cells (53). So while T3 does go down on a ketogenic diet, this does not appear to be the reason for a decrease in metabolic rate.”

Hi Kathy–

MRE

I knwo a guys who’s uncle was abducted by space aliens.

So if they were getting sicker, were they sick to begin with.

How about all the people it has helped, Karen? Are you so blind you can not see them. Do you research before you run your mouth.

LOL

I know a guy whose uncle almost died from low carb.

Every doctor in low carb is being sued by someone who got sicker on low carb.

That “grease diet” can’t be healthy.

Actually, I did try Mary Dan’s suggestion for “brain testing”. I played a classical piano piece that I know well (Beethoven Op. 57), and then did a Sudoku puzzle and recorded the time it took to finish the puzzle.
I then started learning an unknown piece (Mozart Fantasia K. 475). After about an hour of that, I did another Sudoku puzzle and shaved 20 minutes off the time it took to complete the puzzle.

While I am too embarrassed to report my actual times (I’m a beginner at Sudoku), suffice it to say that my brain is not the least bit foggy anymore. And the Mozart is coming along nicely!

“Low carb diets cause cancer” and “Low carb diets cause heart disease” are the most common myths that I hear.

I follow up on my customers needs with a lot of phone time, and it used to be that by the afternoon, if I was left on hold, I would fall asleep! I find that high protein, low carb leaves me much more coherent for much longer periods of time, and that my mind is a lot clearer and calmer.

My golf game sucks, I’m broke, and every single day I seem to get a day older. Do you think my problems could have anything to do with my low- carb diet? Please rush your answer because my brain feels really hungry right now and I’m beginning to think it needs a doughnut or maybe some popcorn.

Which is hilarious because I’ve lost 15.3% of my body fat since starting, from 37.8% to 22.5%. My goal is 19-20%, which I may or may not make.

The stamina thing I kind of agree with. While I usually have no trouble with 30 minutes of weight training and an hour of moderate intensity cardio, I absolutely can’t run more than a mile, and my performanace dropped during a 7.5 mile race one year. When I carbed up before the race, I shaved 15+ minutes off my time. And my running record after carbing up is 3.7 miles. I can WALK forever; I just can’t run when low-carbing.

So for normal activity, low carb isn’t a problem. But really intense exercise for an extended period is impossible.

I do not for a minute believe her when she says you won’t be able to do 30 minutes on the eliptical. As I said, most of my gym sessions involve an hour of cardio, and the eliptical is one of my favorite machines.

Just for reference, I shoot for about 60 net grams a day of carbs, though it creeps a bit higher some days. I’m officially on the maintenance phase of my plan, but am still watching my carb intake closely as I want to lose fat and gain muscle, increasing my health without losing any more weight.

What I wonder is why so many magazine writers choose to write about “waning fads”. If nobody cared about the fad anymore, who do they expect would bother to read their articles or even buy the magazines? Are the article ideas put forward by the magazine’s grain and sugar advertisers?

Even magazines that do contain some LC articles always seem to make sure they run an ad or recipe for some sugar-laden crap on the same page.