A Low Carbohydrate Diet in the Wrong Hands can be Detrimental

Low-carbohydrate diets, such as the keto and Atkins diets, have been effective strategies for weight loss in individuals with obesity. However, the impact of these diets on insulin resistance syndrome (IRS) in healthy, normal-weight individuals has been less studied. A cross-sectional observational study aimed to explore the effect of low carbohydrate intake in healthy individuals with normal weight on glucose homeostasis, inflammatory, and metabolic parameters.

The study found that low carbohydrate intake was significantly associated with dysregulated glucose homeostasis, as indicated by elevated HOMA-IR and HOMA-β% values and elevated C-peptide levels. Additionally, low carbohydrate intake was associated with lower serum bicarbonate and albumin levels, indicating metabolic acidosis. The increased C-peptide levels under low-carbohydrate intake were positively correlated with the secretion of IRS-related inflammatory markers, including FGF2, IP-10, IL-6, IL-17A, and MDC, but were negatively correlated with IL-3.

These findings suggest that low-carbohydrate intake in healthy, normal-weight individuals may lead to dysregulated glucose homeostasis, increased metabolic acidosis, and a potential trigger for inflammation due to elevated plasma C-peptide levels. Prolonged low-carbohydrate intake causes the liver to produce ketone bodies as an alternative energy source, which may elevate the anion gap, as observed in the study's low-carbohydrate group.

This elevation was associated with reductions in serum bicarbonate and albumin levels. Restrictive diets, such as low-carbohydrate diets, may increase the risk of mineral deficiencies and electrolyte imbalances, which can further cause kidney damage.

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