Diets high in carbohydrates are more likely to cause heart
disease than diets high in animal fats, according to a study done for the National
Institutes for Health in the United States.
The study used a clinical trial as compared
with epidemiological data analysis that has been used to link high-fat diets with
heart disease.
The study also found that a low-carbohydrate
diet is more effective for weight loss than a low-fat diet, according to an
article published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
The results challenge the perception that
low-fat diets are always better for the heart, according to lead author Dr.
Lydia Bazzano, professor in nutrition research at Tulane University School of
Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
“Over the years, the message has always been to
go low-fat,” Bazzano said in a statement. “Yet we found those on a low-carb
diet had significantly greater decreases in estimated 10-year risk for heart
disease after six and 12 months than the low-fat group.”
After a year, the low-carb group lost an
average of 7.7 pounds more than the low-fat group.
The blood levels of certain fats that are
predictors of heart disease risk also improved more in the low-carb group.
While low-density lipoprotein cholesterol for
both groups were about the same, the low-carb group saw a spike in so-called
“good” HDL cholesterol and a decline in the ratio of bad to good cholesterol.
While the low-carb dieters got 41 percent of
their calories from fat, most were healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated
fats such as olive or canola oil.
The group got only 13 percent of calories from
saturated fats such as butter.
“It’s not a license to go back to the butter,
but it does show that even high-fat diets — if they are high in the right fats
— can be healthy and help you lose weight,” Bazzano said.
