The science behind successful and permanent fatloss and weightloss

The SlimSafe program follows the successful principles of the Ketogenic process whereby your body converts stored fat back into glucose and uses it to power your body rather than relying on the carbohydrates you put into your mouth.

Reducing refined carbohydrates such as bread, rice, pasta, cereals and potato (and their derivates), and ensuring adequate protein intake lowers the primary fat producing hormone, insulin. This in return forces the body to burn fat while preserving the essential lean muscle mass. It has been proven to be a safe and rapid method of fat loss, while still providing the essential nutrients for good health.

The latest research on lower refined carbohydrate diets and fatloss.

A study published in Diabetes Care 2002¹ demonstrated that a higher protein diet is far superior for fat loss and blood lipid chemistry of obese, insulin resistant individuals. Two groups of type 2 diabetic patients received either a high protein diet or a high carbohydrate diet and observed for 12 weeks. Both diets resulted in weight loss however, there was greater weight and more importantly fat loss in the high protein group. The individuals on a high protein diet also experience a significant reduction in dangerous LDL cholesterol.

Both groups consumed the same levels of calories and fat, which demonstrates that a higher protein, lower carbohydrate diet is superior for fat lass and cholesterol management in insulin resistant, obese subjects.

In another study published in Pediatrics (1998) a group of morbidly obese adolescence aged 12-15 years of age and weighing an average of 147.8Kg, an average weightloss of 15.4Kg was observed. This group consumed a ketogenic diet with a carbohydrate level of 25gms. Dual-energy x-ray and bioimpedance confirmed that this weight loss was predominantly fat. Average percentage body fat loss was 44.2% to 51.1%. Blood chemistry remained normal and an improvement in cholesterol was observed².

The complication of Diabetes can be devastating. The leading cause of type 2 diabetes is chronic obesity. In the last decade, obesity rates in Australia and the USA have doubled. In the USA, that is 55million people, and in Australia, 1 in 4 people are classified as obese. In another trial, 36 insulin dependant diabetic patients were placed on a ketogenic based diet, while being monitored in hospital. After an average of only 1.9 days, these patients no longer required insulin injections as their blood glucose levels had normalised. After 41 weeks, only 8 out of the 36 patients required insulin injections. The conclusion of this study was that a ketogenic diet appears to be a generally successful means of weaning obese diabetic adult patients from insulin.³.

What about the myths surrounding the ketogenic based diet, or better still, what are the benefits.

Bone Mineralisation

In a study published in the Journal of Bone Mineral Res (2000), a four year study followed 391 women and 224 men (average age 75) and noted their consumption of protein and what type of protein was consumed. The individuals who consumed the lowest amounts of protein demonstrated the greatest bone loss. The lowest intake of animal protein also was significantly related to bone loss. The study concluded that adequate protein intake was associated with the maintenance of bone mass⁵.

Effects on the kidneys

A clinical trial in 1999 was undertaken to compare the changes in renal function when one group was given a high protein diet, compared to another group fed a low carbohydrate diet. On the group fed a low protein (high carbohydrate) diet, the kidneys atrophied by an average of 6.2cm3, while the group fed a high protein diet had “adaptive changes in renal size, without indication of adverse effect”⁶.

References:

¹ Parker B et al. Effect of a high protein, high monounsaturated fat weight loss diet on glycemic control and lipid levels in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 2002 Mar;25(3):425-30

² Willi SM et al. The effects of a high protein, low fat, ketogenic diet on adolescents with morbid obesity: body composition, blood chemistries, and sleep abnormalities. Pediatrics 1998 Jan;101(1 pt1):61-7

³ Fitz JD, Sperling EM, Fein HG. A hypocaloric high protein diet as primary therapy for adults with obesity-related diabetes: effective long-term use in a community hospital. Diabetes Care 1983 Jul-Aug;6(4):328-33

⁴ Johnstone CS, Day CS, Swan PD. Postpranial thermogenesis is increased 100% on a high protein, low fat diet verses a high carbohydrate, low fat diet in young health women. J Am Coll Nutr 2002 Feb;21(1):55-61

⁵ Hannan MT et al. Effect of dietary protein on bone loss in elderly men and women; the Framingham Osteoporosis Study. J Bone Miner Res 2000 Dec;15(12):2504-12

⁶ Skov et al. Changes in renal function during weight loss induced by a high vs. low protein low fat diets in overweight subjects. Int J Obes Relat Metab Dis ord 1999 Nov;23(11):1170-7