Atkins Diet | Phases, Foods, Benefits, Risks and More

Advantages & disadvantages of atkins diet

1) Advantages of the Atkins diet

  • It has a bigger variety of meal choices that actually taste good
  • It is very filling unlike other diets as it has a lot of protein and fat in it
  • It also doesn’t require fasting of any kind for any amount of hours
  • It doesn’t require portion control or calorie counting which means you can eat as much as you want with limits of course but you have totake into consideration (the net carbs) which is the total carb content of an item minus its fiber content that is required to track throughout this diet.
  • It is also preferred in people who have carbohydrate processing problems like intolerance and malabsorption that lead to bloating, flatulence,and diarrhea.

2) Disadvantages of the Atkins diet

  • Because this diet derives the largest proportion of calories from fats and protein which are known to increase the lipid content in the blood,increasing both LDL and cholesterol which lead to atherosclerosis and eventually to coronary artery disease.
  • Electrolyte imbalance as ketosis leads to diuresis,so you should consume potassium-rich food like avocado and dark leafy greens which are also low on carbs to avoid getting hypokalemia.
  • Hyperuricemia leading to gout and bone pain.
  • Hypercalcemia giving rise to kidney stones,and osteoporosis.
  • There is also what’s called a (keto flu) typical flu symptoms of headache, fatigue,lightheadedness and diarrhea but usually resolve in 7 to 10 days.
  • Halitosis or(keto breath) a very embarrassing problem, but with drinking more water and keeping oral hygiene and using unsweetened mints can be controlled and resolved after adaptation to the diet.
  • Constipation as there is restricted intake of starchy fibrous food and whole grains leaving behind the non-starchy insoluble fiber that requires more water intake,and regular exercise to digest better.
  • Hypoglycemia in patients who take insulin secretagogues as there is low sugar level in the blood from the lack of carbs in diet.
  • It has a lot of protein which is not suitable for people who suffer from kidney disease and liver disease as it increases the risk of kidney and liver failure.
  • Some people may get mineral and vitamin deficiency,so they need proper supplementations.
  • saturated fats especially increase glucose intolerance and insulin resistance that lead to metabolic syndrome afterwards with obesity, hypertension,and diabetes but according to the American heart association cardiovascular disease was lowered by 30% similar to the effect of statins the lipid lowering drugs when you replace saturated fat with vegetable oil.
  • It also increases the risk of some types of cancers and the lack of carb rich fruits and vegetables is worrisome as they are known to reduce the risk of stroke and dementia and some types of cancers.