Metabolic advantage
Encyclopedia
Metabolic Advantage is a term used in nutrition
to describe the ability of a diet
to achieve greater weight loss (or less weight gain) than another diet of equivalent calories. It is a claimed effect of low-carbohydrate diet
s and was popularised by the Atkins diet, but although several mechanisms exist to make it biologically plausible, it has yet to be definitively demonstrated as a significant factor in weight control. Some studies that have specifically measured the changes in basal metabolic rate under isocaloric very high-fat and very high-carbohydrate diets have failed to find any statistically significant differences.
, which can use any of the macronutrients to generate adenosine triphosphate
(ATP) used to transport chemical energy within cells. The chemical processes involved use energy themselves, so variations in the efficiency of these processes will have the same effect as variations in caloric intake.
, with an efficiency of approximately 57% (protein and carbohydrate are approximately equal in calorific value; each has about four kilocalories per gram, but gluconeogenesis can produce only 57g of glucose from 100g of protein). This could be a significant contributor to metabolic advantage.
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
to describe the ability of a diet
Dieting
Dieting is the practice of eating food in a regulated fashion to achieve or maintain a controlled weight. In most cases dieting is used in combination with physical exercise to lose weight in those who are overweight or obese. Some athletes, however, follow a diet to gain weight...
to achieve greater weight loss (or less weight gain) than another diet of equivalent calories. It is a claimed effect of low-carbohydrate diet
Low-carbohydrate diet
Low-carbohydrate diets or low-carb diets are dietary programs that restrict carbohydrate consumption usually for weight control or for the treatment of obesity. Foods high in digestible carbohydrates are limited or replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of proteins and fats...
s and was popularised by the Atkins diet, but although several mechanisms exist to make it biologically plausible, it has yet to be definitively demonstrated as a significant factor in weight control. Some studies that have specifically measured the changes in basal metabolic rate under isocaloric very high-fat and very high-carbohydrate diets have failed to find any statistically significant differences.
Cause
The human body obtains the majority of its energy through the citric acid cycleCitric acid cycle
The citric acid cycle — also known as the tricarboxylic acid cycle , the Krebs cycle, or the Szent-Györgyi-Krebs cycle — is a series of chemical reactions which is used by all aerobic living organisms to generate energy through the oxidization of acetate derived from carbohydrates, fats and...
, which can use any of the macronutrients to generate adenosine triphosphate
Adenosine triphosphate
Adenosine-5'-triphosphate is a multifunctional nucleoside triphosphate used in cells as a coenzyme. It is often called the "molecular unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer. ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism...
(ATP) used to transport chemical energy within cells. The chemical processes involved use energy themselves, so variations in the efficiency of these processes will have the same effect as variations in caloric intake.
Gluconeogenesis
The human body requires glucose for the brain and nervous system, and a diet that has very few or no dietary carbohydrates forces it to generate this glucose from protein through gluconeogenesisGluconeogenesis
Gluconeogenesis is a metabolic pathway that results in the generation of glucose from non-carbohydrate carbon substrates such as lactate, glycerol, and glucogenic amino acids....
, with an efficiency of approximately 57% (protein and carbohydrate are approximately equal in calorific value; each has about four kilocalories per gram, but gluconeogenesis can produce only 57g of glucose from 100g of protein). This could be a significant contributor to metabolic advantage.