Low Carb Diets, Intellectual Performance And Emotions
Low carb diets have become one of the most widely used nutritional strategies. But it is important to consider the effects of this diet on an intellectual and emotional level. To learn more, keep reading this article.
The physical benefits of low carb diets are well known to people interested in weight loss nutrition. But do we know what their cognitive and emotional impact is? Are they really effective in the long run?
It is true that the body can obtain glucose from any macronutrient – carbohydrates, fats and proteins. However, when it does not use carbohydrates, its effectiveness is much lower. This could have negative consequences on the functioning of our brain.
Low carb diets
We speak of low carb diets to refer to those in which the energy from foods rich in carbohydrates represents less than 30% of the total energy consumption. In recent years, these diets have become the most used for body fat loss.
The reason for its massive use against obesity lies in the important role that carbohydrates play in the accumulation of body fat. However, there are other solutions which, far from prohibiting them, try to moderate their quantity and adjust their glycemic index.
Diets low carb and intellectual performance
The human brain, although it makes up only 2% of the total body weight, uses 20-30% of the energy we consume on a daily basis. It is therefore a very demanding organ which, due to its greater energy efficiency, uses carbohydrates as its main fuel.
The brain is the most demanding organ in the human body due to the complexity of its functioning.
Based on the above, several studies conclude that low-carb diets negatively impact the performance of cognitive tasks related to learning, attention, and memory. However, it seems that this is only happening in the short term. Even if it is also true that few people manage to maintain them over time.
In the long run, when not eating carbohydrates becomes a way of life, a number of adaptations seem to occur that make it more efficient to obtain energy from amino acids – the structural unit of protein – and proteins. Fatty acids. Thus, most long-term research has not found any deterioration in cognitive function.
On the other hand, when it comes to people with dementia, it appears that low-carb diets are beneficial. This is because the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease lose their ability to use glucose for energy, which further worsens cognitive impairment.
However, at least during the early stages of the disease, these people’s brains are able to use ketones – substances derived from the mobilization and breakdown of fatty acids – as a source of energy.
Thus, it appears that low-carbohydrate diets improve cognitive functioning in people with mild impairments. This is shown by the results of a preliminary trial published by the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in April 2019. It is a shame that it is so difficult to maintain this type of diet over time.
What is happening on an emotional level?
In this case, it is the opposite of what we talked about. Unlike what happens with intellectual performance, although in the short term it seems that low carb diets don’t have a negative impact on emotional state, in the long term they do. This would be a consequence of the reduction in serotonin levels in the brain.
Adherence to low carb diets
Low-carb diets are probably the eating strategy that receives the least adherence. There are several reasons for this:
- Not consuming carbohydrates is against the established social model. In Western culture, grains, tubers, fruits and vegetables are the basis of the diet. So not consuming it requires excessive effort which makes the diet fail. In humans, diet has a social function that low-carbohydrate diets cannot fulfill
- Limiting carbohydrate intake depletes the range of foods available. The restriction is such that the person ends up falling into a monotonous and unsustainable diet
- As we saw above, low carb diets generate negative moods. In addition, people sometimes need food to regulate their emotions. However, this is not possible with this type of diet.
Thus, except in exceptional cases and regardless of their theoretical physical benefits, it seems that low-carbohydrate diets are not a good alternative : they reduce intellectual performance in the short term, have a negative impact on emotional state and do not do not generate membership.
