What is it about protein that has given it such a high profile? Take the overweight person who finds it difficult to go on a diet because of hunger pangs and cravings. The theory is that calories are not the be-all and end-all to a weight loss diet and that you can eat a high protein, high fat diet (therefore highly calorific) and still lose weight! It’s true – you can. If the release of insulin isn’t triggered by dietary intake of carbohydrates/sugars then the cells cannot take up the excess sugar, and protein and fat synthesis is hindered. Insulin is an “anabolic” hormone which means that it is required for body tissue synthesis – hence the diabetic who has a malfunction with their insulin metabolism will lose weight and waste away unless they medicate with insulin. Certain dietary regimes ask the client to maintain a specified acidic pH of their urine (they test the urine with pH indicator strips). On a high protein, high fat diet the body produces vast amounts of acids which are cleared in the urine (placing a great strain on the liver and kidneys). Within a narrow band of pH you will maintain your weight-losing state but with the introduction of carbohydrate (any amount) these pH levels will change – so if you want to keep the weight loss up you maintain your nil carbohydrate diet!

Let’s take blood sugar control. We know that in certain individuals when they eat carbohydrate they experience a sudden drop in blood sugar (symptoms include lethargy and fatigue, poor concentration, mood swings, “foggy” brain, dis-perceptions, panic attacks, hot and cold sweats, heart palpitations) and we believe that the cause of this could be an inappropriate insulin response – too much insulin being secreted bringing the blood sugar levels down too much. So these sufferers are recommended to eat high protein/low carbohydrate diets. It works – the symptoms abate because protein doesn’t stimulate such a strong insulin release as carbohydrate.

Next the new wave of “hyper-insulinaemia” where we have moved on from hypo-glycaemia (low blood sugar) to high amounts of insulin in the blood stream. The symptoms appear to be more-or-less the same along with the discovery of excess insulin in the blood stream. What’s the answer? Reduce the secretion of insulin by omitting carbohydrates and increasing your protein intake. Once again manipulation of symptoms with diet- but as soon as you go back on the carbohydrates the symptoms return. Not only this – six months down the track on such a diet you start to experience new symptoms of a more chronic nature.

To be continued…