Another Reason Why Low Carb Dieting is Risky

Low carb diets are no longer as trendy as they were earlier in the decade when the Atkins diet took the weight loss world by storm. Fortunately, fad diets eventually die down and the Atkins style low carbohydrate diet met a similar fate. Despite its decline in popularity, many people still practice some form of carb restriction when trying to lose weight. Now, a new study raises new concerns about low carb dieting and the risk of heart disease.

A New Risk of Low Carb Dieting?

A small, eight week study involving twenty-four people was recently published in the journal Diabetes. Researchers gave a group of twenty-four people either a low carbohydrate diet consisting of twenty percent carbohydrates and sixty percent fat or a low fat diet with fat restricted to twenty percent or less. Although both groups lost weight and experienced reduced insulin resistance, the group that followed the low carb diet experienced an unexpected change in the degree of flexibility of their arteries – raising concerns about heart and blood vessel health. It seems that the low carb dieters developed stiffer arterial blood vessels which could increase their risk for heart and blood vessel disease. Stiffened arteries have even been associated with a higher risk of dementia.

Is a Low Fat Diet Better?

Researchers involved in this study caution that this is a small study and more research is needed to confirm this finding, but if further studies come to the same conclusion it could speak poorly for the safety of low carb dieting. The good news is the arteries actually became less stiff in the group who ate a low fat diet.

Cause for Concern?

There’s always been some concern about the popularity of low carb dieting due to the long term effects this type of diet could have on the heart. The high fat content of this type of diet also raises concerns about lipid levels, although low carb diets appear to lower high triglyceride levels which is a positive in terms of heart health.  

Is Low Carb Dieting Bad for the Heart?

This new finding does raise some questions. Since participants who followed a low fat diet also showed significant weight loss, this may be a safer option if you have a lot of weight to lose. Low fat diets are a time tested way to take those extra pounds off safely.