How do you feel about The Catabolic Diet? (95% vegan, it seems)

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Catabolic Diet

by Tanya Zilberter, PhD

August 15, 2000

 

Weight Loss and Nutrition

Catabolic Diet. Sounds scientifically. But is it scientifically sound?

 

What associations does the term " Catabolic " arise when you hear

it? Doesn't it sound scientifically? It does and rightly so. This term

does make sense and it means concrete things. But does it automatically

mean that the catabolic DIET is scientifically sound? Let us see.The diet

was based on what the author, Victor Lindlahr, M.D., called (back in 1920s)

" reverse calories " or " negative calories. " The foods that are allowed in

the diet are claimed to burn more calories than they provide the body. Is

that true? If the " catabolic foods " require more energy to digest than

they provide, it can mean only one thing: they create negative energy

balance. But what is energy balance? Generally speaking, it takes

precisely matching caloric intake to caloric expenditure to maintain proper

energy stores. Depending on energy storing or spending prevalence, the body

can be in only two states: catabolic and anabolic. The anabolic system is

activated during negative energy balance. As soon as the negative energy

balance occurs, this system increases food intake and decreases energy

expenditure to regain lost energy stores. It is trying to return the body

to the energy-saving mode.The catabolic system is activated during positive

energy balance. This system decreases food intake and increases energy

expenditure. So only a positive energy balance activates the genuine

catabolic system, which seriously contradicts the Catabolic Diet

theory. Does this mean that the Catabolic Diet doesn't work? No. It only

means that it works in a manner quite different from what the proponents

claim. Does it matter anything for those many that were successful on this

diet? I don't know, but I think that for the category of dieters that need

a complete understanding of what's going on in their bodies, it can

matter. And what's going on in the bodies of dieters on catabolic

diet? To theorize on this topic, let's first take a look at the catabolic

diet food list.

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The Catabolic or Negative-Calorie Diet

 

The Claim

 

The diet can work faster than starvation. You'll be surprised how

non-restrictive it is. By eating foods that burn more calories than they

provide, you lose weight.

 

The Facts

 

Though dieters have claimed success while on the Catabolic Diet, factors

other than calorie-burning foods, such as the low-calorie, high water

content of the foods allowed, also contribute to weight loss. The diet

could also have negative health effects, as the energy stored in muscle --

not just fat -- are also tapped.

 

The History

 

Invented in 1929 by Victor Lindlahr, M.D., the Catabolic Diet enjoyed

immense popularity for 20 years. Today, its popularity is soaring again.

The diet was based on what is called " reverse calories " or " negative

calories. " The foods that are allowed in the diet are claimed to burn more

calories than they provide the body. These foods were identified by the

author and his followers as " catabolic

foods. "

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Technically, catabolism refers to something that applies to the overall

basic processes in the body's cells – not the properties of foods.

 

The Medical Lowdown

 

Catabolism occurs when complex molecules are broken down into smaller,

simpler molecules with the release of energy. Simply put, it occurs when

the body weight is decreasing because of calorie restriction, exercise,

fever or even emotional stress. To get more technical (or medical, as the

case may be) catabolism occurs during the major metabolic cycle - the Krebs

cycle -- as well as during cellular respiration, during the breakdown of

sugars stored in the liver and muscles and also during digestion.

Catabolism does not target fat exclusively; the body's muscles and other

tissues are also targeted. This is a major concern of doctors, especially

when patients become so ill that the body is wasting away.

 

A Closer Look at Foods and Digestion

 

How different are the foods in this diet? Are there really foods that can

be called catabolic? During digestion, the amount of energy spent is small

-- for all foods. Proteins and carbohydrates yield 0.6 percent of

available energy. That is, available after the food is chewed, salivated,

swallowed, treated with the enzymes, etc. Fats yield even less -- about

0.1 percent. Another aspect of the diet is to consider how the energy

yielded by a food is being used: If we burn a piece of beef with fire, the

energy will be yielded exclusively as heat. Believe it or not, almost the

same thing is going on within our insides. There's no way a cell can tell

where molecules came from -- cabbage, spinach, bacon, or eggs -- it can't

distinguish the origins.

 

Truth or Fiction?

 

If the catabolic diet works, it works before the digestion is over. This

being the case, it's simple to tell what foods will work better than others

- those that are harder to chew, with lower so-called energy density,

high-fiber, and those that are served raw. Is it what the Catabolic diet

says? Seems like it goes even farther. If the dieters' statements are

true, Dr. Lindlahr's patients who are eating three pounds of food a day

lose more weight than those patients who were fasting. This is what

Catabolic Diet proponents claim: Catabolic foods contain what may be called

reverse calories. When mixed with regular fattening foods, catabolic foods

make them less fattening, by destroying their fat before it can be

stored. You can indulge in 1/3 of your menu as regular (anabolic) foods if

you have 2/3 from catabolic foods. Catabolic foods are all very low in

calories. When we add up the daily caloric value of the catabolic diet, the

three pounds of catabolic foods total only an average of 600 calories. Most

catabolic foods have a very high water content. The foods allowed in the

diet are very high in vitamins and minerals. The diet is very easy to

stick to: There is little cooking, no fuss, no bother, and is a perfect

diet for on-the-go eaters, or people who often eat out in restaurants.

There's a list of substitutes, so the diet is very flexible. Adherence to

the diet helps you decrease the risk of many types of cancers, including

colon and rectal cancer.

 

Energy Balance and Metabolism

 

Does it mean that the body can be tricked into eating less than it

needs? Does the body think that we need exactly as much fat as we actually

have stored – unless, of course, we use our will power? Next time, we'll

consider all the factors, as the body would.

 

Tanya Zilberter, PhD, is a health educator, exercise physiologist, and

writer, with a PhD in physiology. She has published several hundred of

scientific and popular articles and 4 books. As an Internet journalist, for

the last few years she has been a guide to weight loss with www.About.com

.. Her experience as a researcher started with studies of neurophysiology

of hunger and appetite control and continued in more general problems of

energy balance. She also participated in research projects on alternative

medicine modalities including Reflexo-therapy and Breathing Therapy. As a

practicing exercise physiologist, she has developed the Body Mind - Body

Image Workshop.