No love for low carb-high protein diets

Atkins-style diets that promote low-carbohydrate, high-protein intake could be putting women at greater risk of cardiovascular disease, researchers say.

According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, the study calculated that there would be an extra four to five cases of cardiovascular disease every year per 10 000 women following low-carb, high-protein diets.  Although a small number, this represented a 28% increase in cases, Professor Pagona Lagiou, of the University of Athens Medical School, and colleagues wrote.

The study involved almost 44 000 Swedish women aged 30-49 (followed up for an average of 15,7 years), making the findings “directly relevant” to the demographic that often resorted to restrictive weight-loss diets. “In practical terms, a 20g decrease in daily carbohydrate intake and a 5g increase in daily protein intake would correspond to a 5% increase in the overall risk of cardiovascular disease,” the researchers said. 

An accompanying editorial warned that, although there might be short-term weight-loss benefits from low-carb, high-protein diets, they were “irrelevant” in the face of the long-term risks. 

During the follow-up period, researchers recorded 1 270 cardiovascular events, comprising ischaemic heart disease, stroke, subarachnoid haemorrhage and peripheral arterial disease. After adjustment for smoking, alcohol use, hypertension, fat intake and physical activity, there was a 5% increase in cardiovascular risk for every two-point increase on the dietary scale.

Cutting back on carbohydrates could also include cutting out legumes, cereals, fruit and vegetables, which was likely to have negative effects on cardiovascular health, the authors wrote. Likewise, high protein consumption from meat and other animal sources had been associated with increased cardiovascular risk.

 

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