A diet low in carbohydrates was thought to be better than the typical daily calorie counting diets for losing weight, and decreasing the blood levels of insulin . Insulin is a hormone that promotes cancer, based on recent studies.
In England’s South Manchester the Genesis Prevention Center at University Hospital researchers have discovered that it is better to limit carbohydrates to two days a week instead of counting calories in order to prevent breast cancer and other types of illnesses. But they also say that more research is required.
Michelle Harvie, Ph.D., SRD said that loss of weight and decreased insulin levels are needed to prevent breast cancer. However these reduced levels are hard to reach and keep with standard dietary methods. She is a research dietician at the Genesis Center . She presented these findings at the 2011 CTRC – AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium which was held in the second week of December 2011.
She and her co-workers made comparisons between three diets for a period of four months to see their results on loss of weight and blood markers of the risk of breast cancer in one hundred and fifteen women who have had family members suffer from breast cancer. They gave each patient a diet (randomly). These diets were; a two days a week low carb calorie restricted diet , an ‘ad lib’ low carb diet where the patients could eat as much healthy fats and protein as they wanted, including lean meats, nuts and olives, also for only two days a week; and the third diet was a seven days a week typical calorie restricted Mediterranean diet.
The study indicated that the low carb diets were much better than the typical every day Mediterranean diet in losing body fat and weight, and creating insulin resistance . Mean loss in weight and body fat was about 4 kilograms (around 9 pounds ) with the intermittent diets as compared with a lower 2.4 kilogram (around 5 pound) diet with the typical dietary plan. Insulin resistance went down by about 22% with the limited low carb diet, by 14% on the ‘ad lib’ low carb diet, and 4% with the typical Mediterranean diet.
Harvie also stated that it is fascinating that the diet which limits carbohydrates but permits fats and proteins is as good as the calorie-limited low carb diet.
Harvie and her co-workers are going to continue to study the relationship between breast cancer carbohydrate consumption. Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention Appeal funded this study.
