I used to be biased against low carb too, until I read about it. Hopefully you would be open to reading Good Calories, Bad Calories, by Taubes. It really opened my eyes.
]]>Here is a study from the journal Lipids from 2 years ago which determined that a higher saturated fat diet results in lower levels of saturated fatty acids in the blood, as well as reduced inflammation markers. YOU ARE WHAT YOUR BODY DOES WITH WHAT YOU EAT — eating fat does not make you fat, eating carbohydrate tells your body to start packing away fat for winter.
]]>It should take you to the abstract of “Comparison of low fat and low carbohydrate diets on circulating fatty acid composition and markers of inflammation” by Forsythe et al, in Lipids, 43 (2008): 65-77. Authors are at the U. of Connecticut.
Their summary: “…a very low carbohydrate diet resulted in profound alterations in fatty acid composition and reduced inflammation compared to a low fat diet.”
]]>I have spend several years using (and then not using) a high protein/ low carb diet. I am currently on it now to lose some weight. During times when I used it, my cholesterol was good. 178/65/113. Cholesterol did increase when off it, on a high carb eating pattern. (We saw increases in LDL and decreases in HDL.)
My diet differs from Adkins in that I consume very lean meats & low-fat, high protein foods, so it is not that high in fat. I don’t eat a lot of cheese, or rich sauces.
I’ve been concerned about the statements of Adkins causing heart problems, so am currently having my heart-health checked. I wonder if my modification to Adkins makes it more healthy. I know it makes me feel so much better.
After I’ve reduced my weight back to a healthy place, I will probably switch to something more similar to the Mediterranian diet, because it seems like a healthier, more well-rounded diet. But in a state of being highly-metabolically resistant currently, I have not been able to lose weight on it.
Please continue to research these things as there is so many conflicting medical reports here in the US pertaining to healthy eating & obesity.
]]>I wish I could recall the study…who, when, where…but within the last 12 months or so a researcher (biochemist???) was involved in a study where rats were fed a low-carb/high-fat diet. The rats showed remarkably improved triglycerdies and HDL. However, when the arteries of the rats were examined, their arteries had significantly plaqued during the diet. The researcher himself had been following a low-carb diet and immediately abandoned it. Remember that news article?
]]>That article doesn’t ring a bell. It does point out the very real possibility that just because some heart disease risk factor improves with intervention, actual disease rates are another thing altogether.
I try to focus on human studies, as opposed to lab animals, when able. I also like to see hard clinical endpoints such as heart attacks, strokes, cancer, overall death rates.
The new book by Westman, Phinney, and Volek has several chapters discussion the science of low-carb eating. Here’s a link to my formal review of the book:
http://diabeticmediterraneandiet.com/2010/03/07/book-review-the-new-atkins-for-a-new-you/
]]>I found a link regards the research on mice fed a low-carb diet. The research was carried out at Beth Israel Hospital in the Rosensweig cardiology unit. Dr. Anthony Rosensweig, director of the unit, was on a low-carb diet himself and abandoned it after results were revealed in the mice.
http://www.saga.co.uk/health/news/low-carb-diets-may-clog-up-arteries-031.asp
]]>I imagine that mice in a natural habitat would eat a high-carb diet, and relatively high-fat if they can find seeds and nuts. If they don’t do well on a low-carb diet, the lesson might be that we (and mice) should eat what we are adapted to eat, not something totally artificial.
Also note that different strains of lab mice may respond differently to any given condition.
-Steve
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