Hello Evelyn

I remember reading something about it in a paper a couple of days ago.
Although I think it's another opportunity for the press to poo poo lo carb.

In my opinion (for what that counts), not having insulin spikes and not
having your blood sugar levels go up and down would be preferable.  I work
with two diabetics, and when they have a "hypo" they are no fun to be
around.

For me, yes when I go off plan and go back to induction I am not in a
wonderful mood because I am in the process of getting back to ketosis.  They
might be talking about the few days that it takes you to use up all of the
gylcogen that you have stored.

Kaye

Evelyn,

Anecdotally, I have run into depression only twice while low carbing.

The first time was when, after three years of low carbing, I developed a
problem of developing low blood sugars all the time. This caused my mental
performance to deteriorate significantly (I failed a piece of the
Alzheimer's screening test, but fortunately, since they had taken a blood
sugar at the same time which showed a low blood sugar, I was told that low
blood sugar is one of the few other things that can cause problems on that
test.)

I went off low carb for a year and my mood turned up very quickly and my
mental performance improved tremendously. (Since I write for a living, I can
really see signs of mental deterioration very quickly as it will become hard
to think of words. )

When I started low carbing, I monitored for low blood sugar and took steps
to correct it (which I hadn't known enough to do the first time.) I also cut
way back on protein. Twelve ounce steaks will  turn into enough carb in my
body to cause reactive lows.

The second time I experienced low carb-related depression was this past
January after three months of eating a soy-based low carb cereal every day.
I got extremely depressed, sluggish and exhausted, and kept getting intense
hot flashes and periods of extreme cold. I realized eventually that the soy
was the problem and speculate that it was putting pressure on my thyroid and
messing up other hormones. Soy is known to mess up the thyroid and to block
estrogen receptors.

When I stopped the soy cereal the symptoms gradually lifted.  I'm back to
being my usual cheery self.

-- Jenny  - Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight. Type 2 diabetes,
hba1c 5.2.
Cut the carbs to respond to my  email address!

Low carb facts and figures, my weight-loss photos, tips, recipes,
strategies for dealing with diabetes and more at
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/

Looking for help controlling your blood sugar?
Visit  http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm

personal experience only...

i've suffered from depression for years, and if anything, LCing seems to
help keep my moods more stable, and my energy is higher which also helps.

note:  i have been on antidepressant medication during this time, and i
noticed the above improvement without any medication changes

-kelly

I just read about this. I have no clue where. I didn't pay it much
heed because my depression is exacerbated by carbs. It had something
to do with serotonin levels being depressed by low-carbing.

Paper

If it's not one thing - it's your mother.
225/224/150

The theory of it revolves around the hormones seratonin and melatonin.
If you keep your carb intake too low for too long the body reacts by
reducing the output of T3 thyroid (week 3), leptin (month 6+), and
eventually seratonin and melatonin.  The theory has 2 problems:

1) Induction is the only phase that's low enough to cause any of these
hormonal issues and on the core Atkins plan it only lasts 14 day.
Conveniently matched to the week-3 thyroid deal above.  As long as you
actually follow the plan you never get any of the claimed problems.

But so many folks think Induction is all there is to Atkins, that
everyone stays on Induction forever, and no one actually follows the
directions.  So bad claims aobut Atkins are based on staying very low
very low, which isn't what Atkins is supposed to be.

2) Eating grains cause FAR more depression than keeping your carbs
low, and so does over eating carbs.  While it's true that abusing
Induction can trigger depression, the chances are several to one that
it will in fact cure depression not cause it.  So the odds are stacked
in the At-kids favor and the depression mongers are ignoring that half
of the equation.

My depression (which is controlled with Effexor) has gone way down since I
started Atkins. I don't know how much of it is purely the effects of "I'm
finally doing something good for myself" or what, but it is what it is. :)

Piedlourde

I mentioned the other day that I thought that they should prescribe LC eating for depression before they prescribe pills. I think that it helps to eat this way.  At least it has for me. PMS is waaaay down and much more under control at all times.  

I've found the opposite effect....LC helps, not hinders. I'm sure it has to do with the swings of sugars in my system.  I didn't know "why" before, though, and don't know "entirely" why now...I can just see a more even keel.

Becky P.

Sorry, my experience is strictly anecdotal but for me LC really helps keep
depression at bay. I'm much more even-tempered and cheerful. When I
introduce carbs - particularly grains and sugars - I get majorly depressed.

Debbie