Is Low-Carb The Best Way To Burn Fat?

Is really low-carb the best way to burn fat? If I were to think about a retarded claim propagated by the paleo crusaders, I couldn't find any better example.

As usually happens in our mythological industry, this silly idea came out from a poor understanding of the physiology involved, and an elusive interpretation of some studies presented as irrefutable proof that reducing carbohydrates will transform you in a fat burning beast.

In today's information age, anecdotal hearsay can easily become a dogmatic certainty, and the growing list of bestsellers or blogs have produced an anti-carb storm that seems to keep the majority neurotic and confused.

The result is that the general public is more carbophobic than ever, and staple foods such as bread, pasta, rice or most fruits are considered inherently bad, especially for those who are looking for the best way to burn fat.

Brief Primer on Nutrient Storage/Oxidation

After a meal, the nutrients ingested can be stored for later use or burned for energy. Duh! It's important to note that their fate depends entirely on how readily can be converted into fat.

As dietary fat has the highest conversion efficiency, every single butter stick you eat will be stored right in your butt.

If you include carbohydrates in your menu like every normal person does, your body prefers to use glucose for its energy requirements, and fat burning occurs only if additional calories are needed.

This is not to say that limiting carbohydrates is the best way to burn fat, of course. But their conversion into fat is rather an exception because this process is costly, and our bodies like efficiency.

If you desperately decide to banish carbohydrates from your diet, your body will adapt to use the stored fatty acids instead of glucose, and the paleo aficionados speculated that this energy model is more suitable for long term weight loss and health.

This unfounded theory is based on the fact that our ancestors were essentially fat burners, which is simply not true, and using carbohydrates as fuel may hinder this natural adaptation.

Short Tangent about Metabolic Flexibility

MF refers to the capacity of your body to adapt fuel oxidation to fuel availability. In other words, to switch back and forth between using fat or sugar as fuel according to what you eat and your necessities.

For the most part, grossly overweight folks have an impaired metabolic flexibility, and for this reason their fat oxidation capacity may be more reduced.

One way of measuring this is via the respiratory quotient (RQ). A RQ of 1.0 implies a total reliance on carbohydrates, whereas 0.7 denotes pure fat metabolism.

After a normal meal, RQ should approach its maximal value, followed by a descend to its nadir shortly after. Therefore, the more “flexible” you are, the more abrupt this curve should be.

It should be noted that metabolic inflexibility is associated with insulin resistance and obesity, so it's simplistic and convenient to blame the carbohydrates for its occurrence. 

It should be noted that some populations are more prone to metabolic inflexibility for the simple reason that, genetically, have an impaired insulin sensitivity. And, as expected, low-carb proponents give them as example without specifying this little detail. 

However, although the available research is limited, it seems that dietary fat plays even a more important role in this conundrum.

As mentioned, when metabolic flexibility is impaired, your body is less proficient in tackling its fat reserves.

On the other hand, dietary fat has roughly twice the energy density of carbohydrates and also low satiating power, which means that it's very easy to overeat when you base your diet on greasy sausages and barbecue ribs.

Also, it should be noted that fat preference (and consumption) is correlated with your girth size, which in turn in correlated with a reduced mitochondrial capacity in skeletal muscle.

So my point is that you may get eventually in a vicious circle because an increased intracellular lipid accumulation leads to even more insulin resistance. This is not what you want if you are looking for the best way to burn fat.

How can you restore your fat burning capacity?

Very simple. As usual, it all boils down to reducing calorie consumption. Metabolic flexibility improves along with insulin sensitivity, so just find a way to eat less.

Although there is no conclusive research, it should be noted that low carb diets may be a better option for the folks who don't tolerate carbs very well, or temporarily until insulin resistance improves.

But at the end, my friend, what matters the most is energy balance, so alleging indiscriminately that the best way to burn fat is avoiding carbohydrates altogether doesn't make any sense (especially when you are well above 10% body fat).

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