Low-Carb, High-Fat Diets Dont Harden Arteries

BALTIMOREObese individuals who eat a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet dont have an increased risk for hardening of the arteries over the short-term, according to new research that will be presented June 3 at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Denver. The findings debunk traditional thinking that higher fat diets increase cardiovascular disease.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and its Heart and Vascular Institute studied 23 men and women, weighing on average 218 pounds and participating in a 6-month weight-loss program that consisted of moderate aerobic exercise and lifting weights, and a diet made up of no more than 30 percent of calories from carbs, such as pastas, breads and sugary fruits. As much as 40 percent of their diet was made up of fats coming from meat, dairy products and nuts. The researchers monitored arterial stiffness and other measures of blood vessel health.

Low-carb dieters showed no harmful vascular changes, but also on average dropped 10 pounds in 45 days, compared to an equal number of study participants randomly assigned to a low-fat diet. The low-fat group, whose diets consisted of no more than 30 percent from fat and 55 percent from carbs, took on average nearly a month longer, or 70 days, to lose the same amount of weight.

Our study should help allay the concerns that many people who need to lose weight have about choosing a low-carb diet instead of a low-fat one, and provide reassurance that both types of diet are effective at weight loss and that a low-carb approach does not seem to pose any immediate risk to vascular health," the researchers said. More people should be considering a low-carb diet as a good option."

In a second study, 66 patients had no changes in endothelial function after eating a McDonalds breakfast meal that consisted of 900 calories and 50 grams of fat. Study participants blood vessels were actually less stiff when tested four hours after the meal, while endothelial or blood vessel lining function remained normal.