Experts explain why you should not eat carbs on your cheat days
| Aug 19, 2019, 13:30 IST
If you are on a strict diet, then you probably look forward to your cheat days - those days when you can indulge in anything you want, from cakes to bakes goods. Many on the ketogenic diet or keto diet often follow this rule of thumb. Those who are looking to manage type 2 diabetes also opt to follow this diet. However, a new study warns eating carbs on your cheat days is not a good idea. Consumption of a 75-gram dose of glucose is as bad as consuming fries or a bottle of soda.
"The ketogenic or keto diet has become very common for weight loss or to manage diseases like type 2 diabetes. It consists of eating foods rich in fats, moderate in protein, but very low in carbohydrates and it causes the body to go into a state called ketosis," Jonathan Little, associate professor in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences at UBCO and study author, told a news portal.
When the body is in ketosis and starved of glucose, the body's chemistry alters and begins to burn its fat stores in an aggressive manner. This can help a person lose weight and may even recover from the condition. "We were interested in finding out what happens to the body's physiology once a dose of glucose is reintroduced. Since impaired glucose tolerance and spikes in blood sugar levels are known to be associated with an increased risk in cardiovascular disease, it made sense to look at what was happening in the blood vessels after a sugar hit," first author of the study Cody Durrer, a UBC Okanagan doctoral student, told a news portal.
This diet was made up of 70 per cent of fat, 10 per cent of carbohydrates, and 20 per cent of protein. "We were originally looking for things like an inflammatory response or reduced tolerance to blood glucose. What we found instead were biomarkers in the blood suggesting that vessel walls were being damaged by the sudden spike in glucose," Durrer told a news portal.
The team speculated the body's metabolic response to excess blood sugar in the system is likely responsible for this issue. This can cause blood vessel cells to shed or even die. "Even though these were otherwise healthy young males when we looked at their blood vessel health after consuming the glucose drink, the results looked like they might have come from someone with poor cardiovascular health. It was somewhat alarming," Little told a news portal.
Since the study was small, researchers want to investigate the matter further to be able to verify their claims. However, researchers hope those who follow a diet to re-think what foods they choose to consume. "My concern is that many of the people going on a keto diet -- whether it's to lose weight, to treat Type 2 diabetes, or some other health reason -- may be undoing some of the positive impacts on their blood vessels if they suddenly blast them with glucose. Especially if these people are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease in the first place,"Little told a news portal.
The study's findings were originally published in the journal Nutrients.
"The ketogenic or keto diet has become very common for weight loss or to manage diseases like type 2 diabetes. It consists of eating foods rich in fats, moderate in protein, but very low in carbohydrates and it causes the body to go into a state called ketosis," Jonathan Little, associate professor in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences at UBCO and study author, told a news portal.
When the body is in ketosis and starved of glucose, the body's chemistry alters and begins to burn its fat stores in an aggressive manner. This can help a person lose weight and may even recover from the condition. "We were interested in finding out what happens to the body's physiology once a dose of glucose is reintroduced. Since impaired glucose tolerance and spikes in blood sugar levels are known to be associated with an increased risk in cardiovascular disease, it made sense to look at what was happening in the blood vessels after a sugar hit," first author of the study Cody Durrer, a UBC Okanagan doctoral student, told a news portal.
This diet was made up of 70 per cent of fat, 10 per cent of carbohydrates, and 20 per cent of protein. "We were originally looking for things like an inflammatory response or reduced tolerance to blood glucose. What we found instead were biomarkers in the blood suggesting that vessel walls were being damaged by the sudden spike in glucose," Durrer told a news portal.
The team speculated the body's metabolic response to excess blood sugar in the system is likely responsible for this issue. This can cause blood vessel cells to shed or even die. "Even though these were otherwise healthy young males when we looked at their blood vessel health after consuming the glucose drink, the results looked like they might have come from someone with poor cardiovascular health. It was somewhat alarming," Little told a news portal.
Since the study was small, researchers want to investigate the matter further to be able to verify their claims. However, researchers hope those who follow a diet to re-think what foods they choose to consume. "My concern is that many of the people going on a keto diet -- whether it's to lose weight, to treat Type 2 diabetes, or some other health reason -- may be undoing some of the positive impacts on their blood vessels if they suddenly blast them with glucose. Especially if these people are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease in the first place,"Little told a news portal.
The study's findings were originally published in the journal Nutrients.