Atkins diet link to winter gloom
CATHERINE LYST
INDIVIDUALS following the trendy
Atkins diet could be more susceptible to depression this winter,
according to a leading nutritionist.
The dieters’ lack of
carbohydrate intake will lead to lower levels of seratonin, the "happy"
chemical in their brains, according to Lorraine Perretta, a senior
nutrition consultant.
"Carbohydrates don’t make seratonin but
encourage the making if it," she said. "If people are cutting out
carbohydrates they are more likely to suffer from depression.
"In a study of 50,000 people, those who ate a variety of foods
were healthier and happier."
Ms Perretta, a senior consultant at
mynutrition.co.uk and the author of a book called Brain Foods, was
consulted for a study by McCain Foods, which produces a third of all
chips worldwide.
However, registered nutritionist Dr Becky Lang
said there was no evidence to back up the claim. "I think that’s one
hell of a claim to make," she said.
"Seratonin levels do tend to
be higher if you are eating a higher carb diet. However, there is no
evidence to show that seratonin increases with certain diets.
"And mood is influenced by so many factors that the actual
effects of diet are probably quite minimal. I’d be interested to see if
the McCain study is published and what scientific evidence they have
used to back up their claim.
"It’s possible this is a publicity
thing to make people eat more carbohydrates, which I don’t think is a
bad thing."
The claims were made yesterday, the official start
of winter, and a time when the associated effects of Seasonal Affective
Disorder (SAD) begin to take effect.
Psychologists believe the
contrasts between this year’s long, hot summer could have a pronounced
affect on people’s moods.
Geoffrey Beattie, the psychologist
famous for his appearances on Big Brother, said: "I think people will be
struck by the contrast this year.
"It would be nice if the long,
sunny summer could inoculate you against winter but I don’t think it
works like that.
"About this time of year people are doing less
and less and SAD affects sleep cycles, so people who suffer from it
spend more time ruminating instead of exercising and interacting."
However, Dr Geoff Scobie, a senior psychologist at Glasgow
University, believes the extra sunshine could have a positive impact.
"If we’ve had a good summer we are likely to have built up some
resistance to the limited light we get in the winter," he said.
"The problem we have is that we are not quite certain about the
SAD symptoms.
"If it is related to the quality of light, people
who spend most of their time in artificial light would tend to be more
susceptible.
"And if it relates to the total amount of light we
get during the year, then clearly we may have done rather better this
year than previously.
"Monitoring people on the Atkins diet is a
good experiment - if they all feel particularly bad this winter there
must be some connection."
The Atkins diet encourages followers
to eat high protein foods and cut out carbohydrates, such as potatoes,
bread and pasta.
It has soared in popularity with endorsements
from celebrities such as Renee Zellweger, Jennifer Aniston and Geri
Halliwell.
However, some health experts are concerned about the
diet’s long-term effects.
In August, Dr Susan Jebb, from the
Medical Research Council’s Human Nutrition Research Centre in Cambridge,
said it would be "negligent" to recommend the diet to anyone who was
overweight.
Dr Jebb added that the claims made for the Atkins
diet were based on "pseudo-science".
She argued that, despite a
number of small studies, no-one knew what the long-term effects of the
diet might be. But data gained from large diet investigations involving
thousands of participants had set alarm bells ringing.
Dr Robert
Atkins, who developed the diet in 1972, believed carbohydrates such as
bread, pasta, rice and starchy vegetables, over-stimulated the
production of insulin, resulting in hunger and weight gain.
But
Dr Jebb said the diet was a leap in the dark because it meant such a
dramatic change in eating habits.
Three million Britons are now
on the controversial diet with, 7 per cent of British men and 10 per
cent of women having tried it. In the past five years, four million
Britons have tried it.
According to a recent poll, 85 per cent
of those who have tried the Atkins diet believe it is effective, and
almost 70 per cent would recommend it. |
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