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Low Protein Diets & Muscle Loss

March 31, 2018 - Admin

Low-carbohydrate diets— sometimes called ketogenic diets— are more effective than low-calorie, mixed or high-carbohydrate diets for short-term weight loss. The body produces ketones, such as acetone, acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate, during low calorie intake and carbohydrate restriction. The brain and nervous system use mainly glucose (blood sugar) as fuel but can also use ketones when carbs are unavailable. Diets stimulating ketones are sometimes low in protein— according to a German study on rats from Ludwig Maximilian University. A low protein diet, such as a ketogenic diet, is low in protein, high in fat and suppresses protein synthesis, probably by interfering with the mTOR pathway that regulates cell growth and protein synthesis. Ketogenic diets also lower testosterone and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). People who lift weights depend on the activation of the mTOR pathway for muscle growth and need to consider how much protein to build muscle. (Nutrition, 30: 863-868)