weight, but not without also damaging his kidneys, liver and heart. Both the late Dr. Atkins, a heart
disease and obesity victim, and former U.S. President Bill Clinton, a keen follower of the South Beach
Diet and recipient of a quadruple bypass, suffered the consequences of the high protein diet (for details,
see next section). Millions of Americans are following in their footsteps.
A study by Scottish researchers, published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology,
examined the prolonged use of exceptionally low-carbohydrate weight-loss diets on gut health. The
scientists at Aberdeen's Rowett Research Institute found that prolonged adherence to the low-carb diet
may adversely affect the gut bacterial populations that beneficially produce a substance called butyrate,
which is important for keeping the gut healthy and preventing colorectal cancer. Thankfully, low-carb
diets recently lost popularity with the public since the approach has been shown to put followers at a
higher risk for clogged arteries, heart attack, and possibly colorectal cancer as well.
Yes, Your Body Can Store Protein!
Meat and meat products have 5 to 10 times the protein concentration of plant food proteins. Whereas
you can easily overeat on animal protein, it is much less likely to overeat on proteins contained in
vegetables, grains and nuts. The stomach would have to be at least five times larger to accommodate such
large portions of food. It is common knowledge that the body is able to store unused sugar and other
carbohydrates in the form of fat, but it is lesser known that the body also has a large "storage" capacity for
protein. The body's (unintended) protein stores are the connective tissue, notably the fluid between the
capillaries and the cells, and the basal membrane of the blood vessel walls. The basal membrane supports
the cells of the blood capillaries and arteries and keeps them in place (see illustration 19). Without this
membrane, the blood vessels would collapse and fall apart. The basal membrane has the capacity to
accommodate excessive protein by increasing its thickness up to eight times.
When this protein storage is filled to capacity, the protein-congested blood capillaries can no longer
deliver enough oxygen and nutrients to the organs and arteries. The cells that make up these parts of the
body begin to suffocate in their own metabolic waste products. The resulting toxicity crisis prompts an
inflammatory process by the body, which is necessary to increase blood flow and to make nutrients
available for the growth of new cells and the repair of damaged tissues. Repeated bouts of inflammation
in the artery walls can involve bleeding and the subsequent formation of blood clots. Blood clots are the
number one cause of strokes and heart attacks (see illustrations 20a/b).
As a first aid measure to avert potential heart attacks or strokes, the body attempts to contain the
bleeding wounds. It does this by dispatching the glue-like lipoprotein, LP5, into the blood. LP5 attaches
itself to the open wounds, thereby sealing them. To promote the wounds healing and to prevent them from
repeated bleeding, the sticky LP5 catches the relatively large lipoprotein molecules, such as LDL and
VLDL cholesterol molecules (or "bad" cholesterol), and builds them into the artery walls. The resulting
protective "bandage" saves the person's life, at least for a while. It prevents blot clots from escaping into
the blood and causing a heart attack or stroke. If this survival mechanism occurs in the coronary arteries,
it is called hardening of arteries or coronary heart disease. As you can see, there is nothing bad about
“bad” cholesterol. Cholesterol is a stress and healing hormone that the body dispatches to any injured
parts of the body.