The Zone diet, developed by biochemist Barry Sears, promotes the philosophy of eating few carbohydrates, and lots of meat. Although at first counterintuitive, it has become very popular. Celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston publicly endorse the diet. Eating too many carbohydrates causes weight gain by increasing insulin levels. Counter this to Oolong tea diet. Scientists at the Suntory Research Center in Osaka, Japan, shows that drinking oolong tea 15 minutes before eating carbohydrates helps “lower” the rise in insulin you normally get after eating carbs.

How can the Zone diet prevent inflammation? Sears proposes that inflammation-related hormones are controlled, when one is in the Zone. What is the Zone? The ideal state for weight loss, according to Zone dogma: moderate insulin levels, moderate glucagon levels, etc. In the end, can we really say that the Zone diet prevents cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses? Unfortunately we can draw no such conclusion. Although inflammation promotes many diseases, there just isn’t any evidence that the Zone diet reduces inflammation!

According to the Zone diet rationale, the dieter must get in the Zone. What is the Zone? It is supposedly a state for optimal weight loss, in which hormone levels are moderate and balanced. Insulin production, for instance, is neither excessive nor insufficient. Heart-friendly, anti-inflammatory hormones, are also produced in the Zone.

While the Zone diet makes no comment regarding how one should obtain one’s carbohydrates, the Atkins diet specifies that 75% of the deficient in amount, 6% must come from vegetables and fruits. Furthermore, the Atkins diet requires drinking eight glasses of water each day, as opposed to the Zone diet, which makes no such recommendations.

The Adkins diet works. However, no scientific study has been conducted to date, either to test the theory behind the Zone diet, or the efficacy of the diet itself. Sears himself has provided little laboratory evidence, or scientific backing. For instance, he gives no reason as to why eating 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat would be optimal. For this reason, most nutritionists, physicians and biochemists do not support the Zone diet.

Another risk of the Zone diet is malnutrition. If one were to rigorously follow the Zone diet, one would miss out on many important minerals and vitamins. This could lead to osteoporosis, immune deficiency, scurvy, poor attention span, exhaustion, anemia, and other health conditions.

Not everyone is a fan of the Zone diet. The American Heart Association, for example, finds the entire idea flawed and preposterous. In fact, the majority of chemists, biologists, nutritionists and physicians are not only skeptical of the Zone diet’s weight reduction capabilities, but also concerned about potential harm that the Zone diet can cause. Interestingly, scientists from Japan’s University of Tokushima School of Medicine found that people who drank two cups a day of Chinese diet tea experienced over 157% greater fat burning results than those who drank the same amount of green tea.

The Zone diet rests on the dogma of eating carbs, proteins and fats in the “correct ratio.” According to Sears, the ratio is 40:30:30. Because of the Zone diet’s focus on protein consumption, your ingestion of carbs and fats rests entirely on your required protein intake.

Sears believes that the Zone diet prevents inflammation. Purportedly, eating in such a fashion regulates levels of inflammatory hormones. According to standard medical texts, the hormones are produced from omega-6 fatty acids, found mostly in polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Does the Zone diet prohibit sunflower or corn oil? No. So how does the Zone diet prevent inflammation?

Compared with the Zone diet, the South Beach diet is actually very liberal. Doctors had realistic expectations of what average people can do, so he made the diet as friendly as possible. In addition, the South Beach diet has phases, each less restrictive than the previous, to help dieters with the transition between dieting and normal eating. The Zone diet offers no realistic expectations, and no such support. However, when considering drinking tea as a fat burning beverage, stunning healthful weight loss results along with an effective raise in your metabolism. Drinking Wu long tea for weight loss is loaded with antioxidants. It also has shown favorable results for lowering cholesterol, preventing heart disease, osteoporosis and blood clots.

Share This