Can Carbs Help You Lose Weight

Carbohydrates are the body's preferred energy source. They are
abundant in most food of plant origin, and when consumed in as
close to their natural state as possible, offer a myriad of
health benefits. Why then have "carbs" become so popularly
maligned? They seem to have usurped saturated fat as the
perennial bad guy in the battle of the bulge. The reality is
that when the right kinds of carbohydrates are consumed in the
right quantities they pose no threat to the waistline. The key
point to understand in this matter is that all "carbs" are not
created equal.

All living organisms are based on carbon in varying forms.
Carbohydrates are formed when carbon is linked with oxygen and
hydrogen either in single molecules or in some cases hundreds of
molecules. This determines whether they are considered "complex"
or "simple". Simple carbohydrates consist of just one molecule-
sugar- and are termed "monosaccharides". Complex carbohydrates,
or "polysaccarides" are longer chains of sugar molecules, and as
a consequence, take longer to get broken down by the body.

Because complex carbohydrates take longer to break down, the
molecules of sugar enter the blood stream slowly. The benefit of
this is that blood sugar levels remain stable throughout the
day, resulting in consistent, long lasting energy without peaks
and valleys. Simple carbohydrates, on the other hand, enter the
blood stream quickly, resulting in a sudden spike in blood
sugar. To combat this sudden rise in sugar the body secretes a
massive amount of insulin. Insulin is an anabolic hormone that
drives nutrients into the body's cells, and thus promotes fat
storage. Repeated insulin spikes can promote insulin resistance,
or a desensitizing to the hormone, which in the long run can
cause diabetes.

Carbohydrates are stored in the muscle cells and the liver as
glycogen. The body has a limited capacity to store glycogen and
any excess is converted to body fat. Over consumption of
carbohydrates, particularly of the refined, simple variety, are
a leading cause of weight gain in the United States. Sugar
consumption has increased 28% since 1983, and obesity rates have
correspondingly sky-rocketed. To a large degree this increase in
sugar consumption is due to increased consumption of soft
drinks. It is estimated that the average person in the United
States today drinks an average of 1.6 12 ounce cans of soft
drink everyday. Each soft drink contains an average of 10
teaspoons of sugar. This contributes heavily to the estimated
170 pounds of sugar consumed by the average American annually.

Not only does over consumption of refined sugars lead to weight
gain and potentially diabetes, they have the potential to rob
the individual of essential nutrients. Simple carbohydrates can
be refined to the point where all vitamin and mineral content is
lost, providing very little nutritional benefit. This gives us
the term "empty calorie".

Aside from soft drinks, refined carbohydrates to avoid can be
found in products made from white flour, such as white bread,
white rice, pancakes, muffins,and bagels. Less refined
alternatives are whole grain bread, brown rice, oatmeal and
wholewheat pasta. Unrefined carbohydrates retain the outer husk
of the grain, which is where much of the vitamin content is
located. Whole grains also contain fiber, which promotes
digestive health and a feeling of fullness, which generally
results in a lower caloric consumption and therefore aids weight
loss.

In health and fitness circles there is a popular theory that
one should avoid carbohydrates at night. Whilst there is some
merit in this line of reasoning, when it comes to weight loss,
this theory focuses unnecessarily on the finer details. The main
focus in weight loss should be over all energy intake, of which
complex carbohydrates should be the chief component.
Carbohydrates are metabolized the same regardless of what time
of day they are consumed, and if there is too much, the excess
will be stored as fat. However, a high carbohydrate intake late
at night may adversely affect growth hormone levels, which
ideally should be at their highest during sleep. A small to
moderate amount of complex carbohydrates at least 2 hours before
bedtime will not harm growth hormone levels to any significant
degree and may in fact help elevate serotonin levels in the
brain, a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of
tranquility, and can thus aid restful sleep.

Is it ever acceptable to eat simple carbohydrates? Yes, as
fruits contain the monosacchride fructose. Fruits are generally
very low in calories and high in fiber, so in this case the
simple carbohydrates they contain are unlikely to promote fat
storage. I am yet to meet anyone who became obese form eating
too much fruit. Fruits contain essential vitamins, especially
vitamin C which is abundant in citrus fruit.

In some situations the body actually needs quickly digested
carbohydrates. This is in situations where muscle glycogen
stores have been heavily depleted, such as which occurs after
strenuous exercise. Simple carbohydrates like those found in
bananas or even straight glucose is ideal for rapidly restoring
glycogen levels and promoting recovery. How much to consume will
depend on the intensity and duration of the physical activity.
Two hours of endurance type activity will require 100 to 200
grams of carbohydrate within two hours of the cessation of the
activity. However, for a hard training athlete such as this, it
is the overall quantity and quality of carbohydrate intake that
will have the most profound effect on recovery. For the vast
majority of us, our post exercise needs will fall well short of
such amounts. However, the body is most efficient at
carbohydrate uptake in this post exercise period, so it makes
sense to consume our biggest carbohydrate meal (and hence most
calorie dense meal) during this metabolic window of opportunity.


Zero and low carb diets are impractical and difficult to
maintain. For a healthy and long term approach to weight
management, carbohydrates should form approximately 55% of total
calorie consumption, the bulk of which should be comprised of
vegetables, fruit, and whole grains.

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