The Atkins Diet

The very popular Atkins diet consists of eating low carbohydrates and focuses on consuming fats and proteins. According to the Mayo Clinic, the main goal of this diet created by Robert C. Atkins in 1972, was to maintain a balanced amount of carbohydrates and fats and proteins for ideal health and weight loss. When the Atkins diet was first introduced, it was believed that consuming too many carbohydrates led to blood sugar imbalances, cardiovascular complications, and weight gain. The main idea of restricting levels of carbohydrates consumed and increasing fats and proteins has evolved like most other diet plans (Mayo Clinic Staff). The Atkins diet now focuses more on eating high fiber vegetables and accommodates vegan and vegetarian needs.
Approximately ten thousand different protein encoded genes are present in a typical human cell (Harvard School of Public Health). Protein is constructed from building blocks called amino acids. Amino acids are made in our bodies in several different ways. The first way is called non-essential amino acids. These acids are naturally occurring and are synthesized on their own. The second way our body makes amino acids is called essential amino acids. Essential amino acids are not made on their own, but instead they must come from a food source (U.S. National Library of Medicine). These amino acids do not need to be consumed over one sitting. As long as they are balanced throughout the day, your body will use what is required to produce the protein that you
Wrong! You can actually overconsume protein, which is quite damaging to your body and your health. Overconsumption of protein leads to dehydration; weight gain due to conversion of calories into sugars, which then turn into fats; excess body fat; and stressed kidneys or kidney disease due to high nitrogen levels that must be expelled through urination ("The Protein Myth”). Combined with amplified blood sugar levels, which feeds pathogenic yeast and bacteria’s, this can fuel cancer growth (Dr. Mercola). Cancer growth is stimulated by the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) biochemical pathway. This biochemical pathway plays many significant roles in various cancers (Dr. Mercola). When you reduce the protein levels in your body to the range it needs, the mTOR remains repressed. This helps minimize cancer growth. When you consume higher levels of protein that your body cannot tolerate, the mTOR no longer stays inhibited, and this encourages cancer growth. (Dr. Mercola). Other drawbacks of overconsumption include leakage of imperative bone materials, which may lead to osteoporosis and kidney stones. Consuming high levels of protein over long periods of time weakens bones where osteoporosis then occurs. In the Nurses’ Health Study, researchers discovered that women who consume over fifty-six grams of protein on a daily