Low-carb diets may harm arteries

Saturday, August 29, 2009 - 00:10 in Health & Medicine

Low-carbohydrate diets, popular because they can work well for weight loss, have been linked by researchers to diseased arteries, a risk factor for stroke and heart disease. But the study looked at the effect of these diets on mice. We don't know whether people would be affected in the same way. What do we know already? Low-carbohydrate weight-loss diets, such as the Atkins diet, have become popular in recent years. In a low-carbohydrate diet, people cut down on carbohydrates such as pasta and bread, rather than cutting down on fat. The diet normally includes more protein from meat and dairy products than a low-fat diet. Although there is no agreed definition of a low-carb diet, it is typically less than 20 percent carbohydrates. Studies have shown that low-carb diets can work as well as, if not better than, traditional low-fat diets in terms of losing weight. That's...

Read the whole article on The Guardian - Science

More from The Guardian - Science

Related

Latest Science Newsletter

Get the latest and most popular science news articles of the week in your Inbox!