How do our bodies get energy in the absence of carbohydrates?
In a low carbohydrate diet, many people wonder how our bodies are able to satisfy their energy requirements. The answer lies in our body's ability to source energy from the breakdown of fats and proteins.
The first method is called gluconeogenesis -which translates to the creation of sugar from non carbohydrate sources. This allows the brain to satisfy its glucose requirement in the absence of carbohydrates. The brain will ALWAYS have a basic requirement for glucose, but the exact amount will depend on various personal factors.
Gluconeogeneis will allow our bodies to satisfy the brain's basic requirement for glucose, but where will the majority of energy come from to power the rest of our body? The answer is KETONES.
The human body loves ketones. The heart, brain and every other part of the human body is able to function perfectly well on them. They are formed when fats are broken down by a process called beta-oxidation. I won't go into the science behind beta-oxidation, as it will make this post look more like a university science textbook. If you are keen to learn more about the process of beta oxidation, then I recommend searching for the wikipedia article.
Once broken down, most of these ketones are sent to tissues - including the heart and brain - to be used for energy. The remaining ketones are dispelled via the breath and the urine. When carbohydrates are sufficiently limited in the diet, people enter a state called Ketosis, which is when there are enough of these ketones to be detectable in the urine.
There are two points I want to stress in relation to Ketosis:
1. Nutritional Ketosis is NOT the same as Diabetic Ketoacidosis. Diabetic Ketoacidosis is a life threatening condition that affect people with diabetes. When a diabetic person fails to receive enough insulin, they go into a state of starvation. No matter how much glucose they have flowing around their blood, without insuling they are unable to get it into their cells. The bodies natural reaction to this is to release ketones in order to try and supply their bodies with the energy they are in desperate need of! The problem is, without the ability to produce insulin (one of the functions of insulin is to turn off the bodies fat breakdown to stop producing ketones), the body will continue to produce ketones. Eventually, the level of ketones in the body will reach a dangerous level and the person will become critically ill.This state of ketoacidosis is not possible in a person that can produce insulin (the majority of us) because our bodies are able to shut off the fat breakdown to prevent the ketone concentration ever reaching a dangerous level. A person in nutritional Ketosis tends to have a ketone level of between 0.5 - 3 mM - which in english translates to "far below a potentially harmful level".
2. Nutritional Ketosis is not necessary for weight loss - Nor do I recommend it unless you are severely overweight and in desperate need of losing weight. Ketosis is the extreme end of the low carb lifestyle, but is not necessary to significantly improve your health and reach an optimal weight.
Essentially, the less carbohydrates you consume, the less glucose your body will have available for energy. The less glucose your body has available for energy, the more fat it must break down to produce ketones. The more fat you break down to produce ketones, the closer you get to achieving that beach body you've always been wishing for.
So there you have it - you now understand how the body is able to get all the energy it needs from fat. That's all for now people.
In a low carbohydrate diet, many people wonder how our bodies are able to satisfy their energy requirements. The answer lies in our body's ability to source energy from the breakdown of fats and proteins.
The first method is called gluconeogenesis -which translates to the creation of sugar from non carbohydrate sources. This allows the brain to satisfy its glucose requirement in the absence of carbohydrates. The brain will ALWAYS have a basic requirement for glucose, but the exact amount will depend on various personal factors.
Gluconeogeneis will allow our bodies to satisfy the brain's basic requirement for glucose, but where will the majority of energy come from to power the rest of our body? The answer is KETONES.
The human body loves ketones. The heart, brain and every other part of the human body is able to function perfectly well on them. They are formed when fats are broken down by a process called beta-oxidation. I won't go into the science behind beta-oxidation, as it will make this post look more like a university science textbook. If you are keen to learn more about the process of beta oxidation, then I recommend searching for the wikipedia article.
Once broken down, most of these ketones are sent to tissues - including the heart and brain - to be used for energy. The remaining ketones are dispelled via the breath and the urine. When carbohydrates are sufficiently limited in the diet, people enter a state called Ketosis, which is when there are enough of these ketones to be detectable in the urine.
There are two points I want to stress in relation to Ketosis:
1. Nutritional Ketosis is NOT the same as Diabetic Ketoacidosis. Diabetic Ketoacidosis is a life threatening condition that affect people with diabetes. When a diabetic person fails to receive enough insulin, they go into a state of starvation. No matter how much glucose they have flowing around their blood, without insuling they are unable to get it into their cells. The bodies natural reaction to this is to release ketones in order to try and supply their bodies with the energy they are in desperate need of! The problem is, without the ability to produce insulin (one of the functions of insulin is to turn off the bodies fat breakdown to stop producing ketones), the body will continue to produce ketones. Eventually, the level of ketones in the body will reach a dangerous level and the person will become critically ill.This state of ketoacidosis is not possible in a person that can produce insulin (the majority of us) because our bodies are able to shut off the fat breakdown to prevent the ketone concentration ever reaching a dangerous level. A person in nutritional Ketosis tends to have a ketone level of between 0.5 - 3 mM - which in english translates to "far below a potentially harmful level".
2. Nutritional Ketosis is not necessary for weight loss - Nor do I recommend it unless you are severely overweight and in desperate need of losing weight. Ketosis is the extreme end of the low carb lifestyle, but is not necessary to significantly improve your health and reach an optimal weight.
Essentially, the less carbohydrates you consume, the less glucose your body will have available for energy. The less glucose your body has available for energy, the more fat it must break down to produce ketones. The more fat you break down to produce ketones, the closer you get to achieving that beach body you've always been wishing for.
So there you have it - you now understand how the body is able to get all the energy it needs from fat. That's all for now people.
Find out which programme introduced me to the low carbohydrate
lifestyle and took me on a journey to becoming a healthier and happier
person.
http://www.lowcarbuk.com
http://www.lowcarbuk.com
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