Metabolic pathways during the adoption of low carb diets: weight loss vs adverse effects
Abstract
In the past decades the use of low carb diets for weight loss and for the prevention and treatment of obesity has become popular. The Krebs cycle is the main metabolic pathway for oxidation processes involving macronutrients in animal tissue. The Krebs cycle depends on the Acetyl-CoA molecule to be initiated, a molecule generated, at first, in the processes of glycogenolysis and glycolysis. When carbohydrate deprivation occurs because of these types of diets, the activity of these two processes decreases and the body is forced to adopt two other metabolic processes for the generation of Acetyl-CoA, gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis. The present literature review aimed to describe these processes, as well as the effects of increasing their activity and their relationship with Krebs cycle activity. Materials and Methods: A search was performed in the PubMed database for scientific articles published from 2000 to 2022 using terms related to the theme. Conclusion: Low carb diets have adverse effects that require caution, in addition to contradicting the dietary recommendations proposed by health agencies.
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