Trendy zero carb Keto diet may double risk of heart disease, study warns

Following the keto diet may increase your risk of heart disease and other deadly cardiovascular conditions, a study suggests.

The ultra-low-carb diet has become incredibly popular in recent years as a powerful weight-loss tool, with an estimated 13 million Americans following it.

But Canadian researchers who followed 1,500 people for more than a decade warn that it may raise levels of “bad” cholesterol.

They found that those who followed a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet were twice as likely to have cardiovascular events such as clogged arteries, heart attacks and strokes than their peers.

The team believed this was because they had higher levels of bad cholesterol, which put them more at risk for fatty deposits in the artery walls that can narrow or block them.

Dr. Iulia Iatan, a physician at the University of British Columbia’s Center for Heart Lung Innovation who led the study, said: [Keto-like] diet, we found that those with the highest levels of LDL cholesterol were most at risk for a cardiovascular event.

‘Our findings suggest that people considering going on an LCHF diet should be aware that this may lead to an increase in their LDL cholesterol levels.

“Before starting this diet, they should consult a healthcare provider.

“During the diet, it is recommended that they get their cholesterol levels checked and try to address other risk factors for heart disease or stroke, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, physical inactivity and smoking.”

Eating a high-fat diet raises low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, which can build up in deposits in the walls of blood vessels.

This happens because receptors in the liver that help remove LDL cholesterol from the blood don’t work as well. The American Heart Association also suggests that a high-fat diet leads to more LDL cholesterol being produced.

It can also increase levels of apolipoprotein B (apoB), which can help build up fatty deposits in the cells of the arteries.

However, not all cholesterol is bad. There is also high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol that absorbs other cholesterol from the blood and returns it to the liver.

The keto diet involves getting between 50 and 80 percent of daily calories from fats, including brie, avocado and oily fish, and 20 to 30 percent from protein.

Followers avoid carbs — found in bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes, among others — to induce starvation mode in the body.

The low carbohydrate consumption pushes the body into a state called “ketosis,” or starvation mode, where it begins breaking down fats stored in the body.

This increases levels of ketones, chemicals made by the liver in response to the body having too little insulin, which indicates that there is not enough sugar to meet energy needs.

This is believed to help accelerate fat loss, give people better mental clarity and also reduce the risk of diabetes.

Celebrities such as actress Halle Berry swear by the keto diet and have followed it for over 30 years to help manage her type 1 diabetes.

Legendary basketball player LeBron James also reportedly followed a version of the diet when he ate only meat, fish, fruits and vegetables for 67 days in 2014. He even turned down desserts made for him by a resort in Greece.

In the study, led by scientists at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, researchers scanned the UK Biobank for participants following the keto diet.

After finding 70,684 people who once had data on daily calorie intake and blood cholesterol levels, they found 305 participants who followed a “keto-like” diet.

This was defined as getting more than 45 percent of their daily calories from fats and less than a quarter from carbohydrates.

They were matched with 1,220 individuals whose diets didn’t meet this definition – and were described as “standard eaters.”

In total, about three-quarters of the participants were female and had an average age of 54 years. They were all also considered overweight.

The data was analyzed taking into account factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking and obesity.

During the 12-year study, about 9.8 percent of people in the keto-like diet group developed serious heart disease.

This included heart attacks, strokes and a blockage in the artery that required a stent procedure – an operation in which a coil of mesh is inserted into an artery to support it and keep it open.

In comparison, in the group that ate the standard diet, only 4.3 percent experienced serious heart problems during the same period.

The researchers also found higher levels of LDL cholesterol — or bad cholesterol — and apolipoprotein B, a protein that helps transport fat and cholesterol around the body in the keto group.

Limitations of the study include that participants were only questioned once about their diet, meaning they may not have adhered to it during the 12-year study.

The study was presented Sunday at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together with the World Congress of Cargiology in New Orleans, Louisiana.