Low-carb diet may have benefits over reducing fat
A low-carbohydrate diet improved cholesterol levels of severely
obese people and may also curb markers of inflammation better than
a reduced-fat diet, suggests a six-month study.
Low-carb diets have already been shown to bring about weight loss
but the new trial suggests that they could also have an additional
benefit for obese people by cutting heart disease risk through reducing
inflammation.
Researchers from the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center
compared the effects of a low-carb diet with a traditional fat-
and calorie-restricted diet among 78 extremely obese adults.
They measured both cholesterol levels and C-reactive protein, or
CRP, a marker of inflammation in the blood.
Writing in the American Journal of Medicine they report
that C-reactive protein levels decreased modestly in both diet groups
overall. However, patients with a high-risk baseline level experienced
a greater decrease in C-reactive protein levels on a low-carbohydrate
diet, independent of weight loss.
And while both diet groups experienced similar decreases in the
number of low-density lipoprotein particles (LDL) and increases
in large high-density lipoprotein (HDL) concentrations, subjects
on a low-carbohydrate diet experienced a greater decrease in large
very low-density lipoprotein levels, which has been linked to the
progression of artery disease.
But the authors also noted that those with lower to moderate CRP
saw their levels go up on the low-carb plan. And the low-carb group
also showed an increase in chylomicrons, particles that transport
dietary fat from the gut to cells and tissue elsewhere in the body.
This could be of 'potential concern', said the authors.
The study suggests that more research is needed to gauge the long-term
impact of a low-carb diet on risk of cardiovascular disease.
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Reference
Seshadri P, Iqbal N, Stern L, Williams M, Chicano KL, Daily DA,
McGrory J, Gracely EJ, Rader DJ, Samaha FF. (2004). A randomized
study comparing the effects of a low-carbohydrate diet and a conventional
diet on lipoprotein subfractions and C-reactive protein levels in
patients with severe obesity. American
Journal of Medicine, 117, 398-405
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