Low carbohydrate diet: are concerns with saturated fat, lipids, and cardiovascular disease risk justified?
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to assess concerns about the low-carbohydrate diet (LCD), particularly its impact on LDL-C levels and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, while evaluating its efficacy in improving CVD risk factors.
Results Summary
The study found that the LCD effectively improves markers of insulin resistance, inflammation, atherogenic dyslipidemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia, while long-term trials (2-10 years) support its safety and effectiveness. Critics' concerns about LDL-C increases were deemed less relevant due to the diet's positive impact on more reliable CVD risk factors.
Population
General population and epileptics (in one long-term study).
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
2-3 years (up to 10 years in one study)
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
low carbohydrate diet (LCD) | decrease | weight loss | - | - | efficacy for | #1 |
low carbohydrate diet (LCD) | improvement | markers of the insulin-resistant phenotype | - | - | improvement of | #2 |
low carbohydrate diet (LCD) | decrease | inflammation | - | - | reduction in | #3 |
low carbohydrate diet (LCD) | decrease | atherogenic dyslipidemia | - | - | reduction in | #4 |
low carbohydrate diet (LCD) | decrease | hypertension | - | - | reduction in | #5 |
low carbohydrate diet (LCD) | decrease | hyperglycemia | - | - | reduction in | #6 |
low carbohydrate diet (LCD) | increase | saturated fat | - | - | promotes unrestricted consumption of | #7 |
saturated fat consumption in the context of an LCD | increase | low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) levels | - | - | may increase | #8 |
diet-induced increase in LDL-C | increase | cardiovascular disease (CVD) | - | - | increases the risk of | #9 |
low carbohydrate diet (LCD) | improvement | the most reliable CVD risk factors | - | - | improves | #10 |
low carbohydrate diet (LCD) | neutral | - | epileptics | 10 years | safety and effectiveness of | #11 |
consumption of saturated fat, in the context of an LCD | increase | CVD | - | - | will increase risk for | #12 |
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There is an extensive literature on the efficacy of the low carbohydrate diet (LCD) for weight loss, and in the improvement of markers of the insulin-resistant phenotype, including a reduction in inflammation, atherogenic dyslipidemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia. However, critics have expressed concerns that the LCD promotes unrestricted consumption of saturated fat, which may increase low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) levels. In theory, the diet-induced increase in LDL-C increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The present review provides an assessment of concerns with the LCD, which have focused almost entirely on LDL-C, a poor marker of CVD risk. We discuss how critics of the LCD have ignored the literature demonstrating that the LCD improves the most reliable CVD risk factors. RECENT FINDINGS: Multiple longitudinal clinical trials in recent years have extended the duration of observations on the safety and effectiveness of the LCD to 2-3 years, and in one study on epileptics, for 10 years. SUMMARY: The present review integrates a historical perspective on the LCD with a critical assessment of the persistent concerns that consumption of saturated fat, in the context of an LCD, will increase risk for CVD.