DOC News January 1, 2007
Volume 4 Number 1 p. 11
© 2007 American Diabetes Association
Low-Carb Diet Doesn't Raise Women's Cardio Risk
Despite concerns that Atkins and similar low-carbohydrate diets may lead
people to consume too much fat, the diets do not appear to raise the risk of
coronary heart disease (CHD) in women, according to an analysis of 82,802
women in the Nurse's Health
Study.
Investigators obtained surveys with validated food-frequency information
and were able to calculate a "low-carb score" for each participant
based on the proportion of energy derived from carbohydrates, proteins, and
fats. A high score reflected a high level of energy from fat and a low
contribution from carbohydrates. Scores were divided into deciles, from which
researchers sought correlations with CHD.
During the 20 years in which the participants were followed, there were
1,994 new cases of CHD. Analysis revealed that the relative risk between the
highest and lowest deciles of the low-carb score was 0.94, making it just
about a wash. The consumption of mainly vegetable fats was associated with
about a 24% reduction in CHD risk compared with the consumption of mainly
animal fats.
Researchers found that the highest levels of glycemic load—a measure
of how quickly carbohydrates are digested and absorbed—were associated
with an increased risk of CHD.
"Diets lower in carbohydrates and higher in protein and fat are not
associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease in women,"
researchers conclude.
Halton TL, Willett WC, Liu S, et al.: Low-carbohydrate-diet
score and the risk of coronary heart disease in women. N Engl J
Med 355:1191–2002, 2006.[Free Full Text]
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