Nutrition Commons^™

Protein-Based Diets: Fact Or Fiction?, Melanie Douglass

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Protein-based diets are once again popular among the those vulnerable to quick weight loss schemes. Advocates for these diets claim quick, permanent weight loss, disease prevention, improved physical performance, and even enhanced mental productivity. It is claimed that a diet high in carbohydrate contributes to hyperinsulinemia, fat storage, and "bad" eicosanoid production among other things. However, the detrimental effect of a low carbohydrate, high protein diet is rarely discussed. Subjects who follow protein-based diets are prone to a state of ketosis, which causes them to lose an unhealthy amount of nutrients and water. In general the protein-based diets are a …