Originally Posted by
ruiner
Don't emphasize the "NOT" in all capital letters, it sort of implies something which isn't true. You should instead have said "Fats are not burned AS effectively on a protein only diet..." To which I would agree. But stating that fats cannot be burned on a protein/fat diet is pure horse****.
Also, while calling it a starvation diet is accurate, such wording would lead to someone coming to the conclusion that it is ineffective to the point of decreased metabolic rate, or that it would deplete muscle stores to fuel the body, and that is most certainly not the case. By definition it is a starvation diet as far as biology is concerned, but there is a stark contrast between fat/protein diets and calorie-deficient diets. In the former case muscle mass is preserved and the brain can function normally utilizing ketones. Not so in the latter.
Ok, Grammar Nazi. First, what I said is exactly the statement you just reworded. But if it helps to reword so you understand what I'm saying, gooooooooo right ahead. I didn't say fats CANNOT be burned on a protein/fat diet. That's absurd- look at the Krebs Cycle in a diagram sometime. The deamination of amino acids formed from oxidation of proteins produce a ketoacid that directly enters the Krebs Cycle to produce ATP. You won't get as many ATP as carbohydrate metabolism, but you'll get some ATP generation. This is not what we want. We eat proteins so we can use those amino acids produced from protein metabolism for other necessary chemical reactions in the body (i.e. enzymes are proteins that act as catalysts to drive chemical reactions in the body). But- if we have limited carbohydrates and fats energy stores, the body will go to proteins for its energy source. If you try to rely on this method for energy, under most normal circumstances, you may end up compromising your own bodily functions. I wouldn't do it- but that's MY choice.
As far as your notion that the brain can survive normally on a fats/proteins diet (which I interpret to mean as opposed to a carbohydrate richer diet (50- 55% of diet from carbs), that is not so. The brain gets its fuel source only from carbohydrates- not fats, and not proteins. So it's difficult to address that other little part of your statement. Sorry.
koffee