Low-carb diets have become increasingly popular, touted for their ability to keep blood sugar levels and weight down and reduce the risk of diabetes. diabetes.
But new research suggests the trendy diet could send cholesterol levels skyrocketing for some, increasing the risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
It is estimated that around half of adults in Britain have high cholesterol, the deadly fatty plaque that builds up in the arteries and kills around one in five every year.
Low-carb diets typically consist of 75 percent fat, 20 percent protein and 10 percent carbohydrates, such as potatoes and bread.
The eating plan was previously credited with increasing levels of so-called good cholesterol, which helps remove fatty deposits from the arteries.
However, new findings suggest that the diet could increase ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol in high-risk individuals because of the high-fat foods it entails.
Presenting the study, lead researcher Alexa Barad said that while some may see benefits in a low-carb diet, this is not the case for everyone.
“Dietary advice can sometimes be presented as one-size-fits-all,” she said. ‘While some people find that a low-carb diet increases their cholesterol, others see no effect.’
The Keto Diet is a high-fat, low-carb plan designed to force the body to burn fat for fuel instead of glucose
The team from Stanford University School of Medicine wanted to see if a person’s genes could help identify those who could benefit from eating fewer carbs, and those who could experience a potentially fatal increase in cholesterol.
The study analyzed data from a study involving more than 600 adults who followed a healthy low-carb diet or a healthy low-fat diet for a year.
First, the authors identified no clear benefit for either diet when it came to weight loss.
But the current researchers wanted to go one step further and focus on 431 participants for whom genetic data was available.
They examined the participants’ individual genetic makeup, saturated fat consumption and changes in ‘bad’ cholesterol over a six-month period.
Among participants who followed a low-carb diet, those who were genetically predisposed to higher levels of bad cholesterol were more likely to experience a potentially dangerous increase, the scientists found.
This is thought to be because those who follow the diet often replace high-carb foods with foods high in fat, such as red meat and cheese.
High cholesterol causes fatty deposits to build up in the arteries, which can narrow the arteries and lead to a heart attack
Participants with the highest genetic risk experienced the greatest increases in bad cholesterol when they consumed more saturated fat.
The team hopes that their method will one day help doctors and nutritionists identify people who are more likely to experience harmful cholesterol changes on certain diets.
Saturated fats are found in many foods, but most come from animal sources, including meat and dairy products. Palm oil is also a saturated fat.
Unsaturated fats, on the other hand, are mainly found in plants and fish.
In Britain, current guidelines recommend that saturated fat should make up no more than about 10 percent of a person’s daily calorie intake.
For men, this means no more than 30 grams of saturated fat per day, while women are advised to limit their daily intake to no more than 20 grams.
NHS guidelines recommend reducing saturated fat and replacing it with unsaturated fats, including omega-3 fats, where possible, to minimize the risk of heart disease.
For those following a low-carb diet, this means choosing foods like nuts, seeds and olive oil over butter, fatty cuts of meat and processed meats, which are high in saturated fat.
Around 200,000 people in Britain suffer a heart attack or stroke every year, making cardiovascular disease the biggest cause of death in Britain.
An estimated eight million people live with cardiovascular disease – a group of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels and can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Around 100,000 Britons suffer a stroke every year and the condition – which occurs when blood stops flowing to part of the brain – is one of the country’s leading causes of death, claiming around 34,000 lives each year.
