It appears the debate is still going on. Low-carb high-fat diets are harmful to heart health, according to proponents of low-fat diets. This seems like that should be the case at first glance. Wait, is it?
The results of a newly published clinical study by a physician and researcher with expertise in cardiovascular and metabolic health are both intriguing and unexpected. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups for this experiment. For 20 weeks, they stuck to their prescribed meal plans. Each of the three diets had 20% protein, with varying levels of carbohydrates and fat.
The study’s participants were provided with fully cooked, individualized meals to which they could consume in the dining hall or take with them. So there was no question as to whether or not they were getting their daily quota of macronutrients.
The diets might be summed up as follows:
20% carbs, 21% fat; low-carb
40% carbs, 14% fat; somewhat carbohydrate-heavy
60% carbohydrate, 7% fat; high in carbs
The astounding findings, disclosed after 20 weeks, were:
In addition to raising HDL cholesterol, a low-carbohydrate, high-saturated-fat diet also raised insulin-resistant dyslipoproteinemia or lipoprotein(a) levels. The potential for carbohydrate restriction to reduce CVD risk apart from weight has to be investigated in large multi-centered studies with robust results.
What this means is that compared to those on the low or high carb diets, those on the low-carb, high-fat diet saw greater improvements in lipids, which adiponectin (a fat-derived steroid that appears to play an important part in protecting towards insulin rHeart-healthy eating planesistance/diabetes or atherosclerosis), blood pressure, and lipoprotein(a). Lipoprotein(a) is a kind of protein responsible for transporting cholesterol throughout the body; when elevated, it may trigger LDL cholesterol to deposit in the walls of blood vessels, resulting in atherosclerosis and other forms of arterial constriction or blockage. There was no correlation between the high levels of saturated fat and an increase in cholesterol or other cardiovascular risk factors.
This contradicts what we was led to believe for a long time. In my view, the source of the fat and the overall quality of the meal are the two most important factors. The long-held belief that saturated fat is harmful is unfounded. Whether or not saturated fat is bad for you depends on where that fat came from and how your body processes it.